Broken
by IAin'tNoOrdinaryGirl
Summary: There's a girl, who pushes her emotions aside. There's a boy that's secretly broken inside. And maybe, just maybe, there's a tiny bit of hope, that together, they can help each other cope. Rated T plus.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

Annabeth stared out the window of her house, and she sighed. From outside her room, which was locked, she could hear the sounds of her parents arguing and yelling.

All her life, Annabeth had heard the sounds of her parents fighting and yelling. There was no soft voices to sooth her to sleep, to calm her down, to comfort her.

She'd grown used to the shouts of her parents, and coming home from high school and locking her door was something that she had done so many times, she now did it instinctively.

Her mother, Athena Chase, was a successful architect, designing one of the most popular buildings. Athena was at work throughout the whole time Annabeth was at school, and while she wasn't yelling at Annabeth's father, she was designing more buildings. Never once had Athena been a regular mother to Annabeth, caught up in her own work.

Her father, Frederick Chase, was a whole different story. He used to work as a professor in Harvard, but had retired. Now, his days were spent drinking and lounging in the couch. Annabeth never understood why he had retired, and he always refused to tell her. Annabeth had gotten used to the neglection, yet she never understood why her parents wouldn't get a divorce if they despised each other so much.

It was Saturday, barely dawn. Annabeth was woken to the sounds of her parents, once again, yelling and screaming.

She looked outside the window, and opened it. Next to her window, there was a pipe, just large enough for Annabeth to grab and climb with the ledge of her window. She pulled herself up, grabbing the pipe for leverage, praying it didn't break. She shut the window with her foot. Just above it, there was a brick out of place, which Annabeth pulled her foot towards. She again, pulled herself up. The roof of the attic was face to face with her, and Annabeth took a chance and let go of both the pipe and the brick, and with her heart pounding, she landed on the roof.

Taking a shaky breath, Annabeth got up and walked over to the edge of the roof, careful not to walk off and break her neck. Having done this at least a hundred times since she was 12, which had been three years ago, Annabeth knew how to do it by heart.

She sat down on the ledge and pulled her legs aside, letting them hang from the roof. The roof had a bumpy edge to it, and it was light purple, but Annabeth barely noticed. She looked up at the splash of colors in the sky, and shivered when the cold morning chill ran through the air, pulling her tank top over her hands. Even though it was July 1st, Annabeth felt cold, both inside and out. She wished she'd have worn something better than short shorts and a white tank top when leaving.  
Annabeth glared at the sky, her emotions everywhere. Her eyes shone through the light as she stared at the purple, blue and light orange decorating the sky. She had nobody to tell her emotions to, and she kept them bottled inside. Would I ever get my happy ending like everybody? Would things ever change for me? Is this how I'd live my life, letting my parents control it?

Even though she never showed it, Annabeth wished her parents would show her a little love for her, instead of either putting the blame on her, or completely ignoring her. She had thought about running away, multiple times. All she wanted was a place to feel safe, to feel loved. Not unwanted. Not useless. There was never a day where she didn't think about running away. Annabeth knew that there was more to life than sitting home alone, feeling terrible. She knew her happy ending was somewhere, and she'd have to make it.

Annabeth looked at the street below her, cars passing, even at dawn. She'd considered simply leaving, no note, just leaving. To live, to find what her purpose was. Yet , she knew it was irrational. She'd have no place to stay, and it wouldn't be safe. Instead, she studied, hard, in hopes of reaching her dream college, Columbia university, and moving to her dream city, New York City. To finally leave San Francisco. To leave, and never look back. But she knew in order to achieve that dream, she'd have to work for it.

However, that didn't mean she didn't want love from her parents. Maybe she was overreacting, but she didn't know what to do any spent nights awake, praying she'd find her happily ever after. Wishing that somebody would show her care, to show her she was more than just a disappointment. But of course, not all wishes came true.

She threw her hands up in exasperation. Annabeth was sick of hiding her feelings and pushing them away, letting herself become numb. Picking up a rock that was next to her, small yet heavy and smooth, different shades of white, Annabeth threw the rock down, nearly fainting when she heard a voice say, "Ow! What the hell?"  
Annabeth looked down, terrified she'd hit somebody. She squinted and saw that familiar sea-green eyes were staring back at her, rubbing his head with his hand, wincing. "What was that for?"

The school's most popular boy and neighborhood star, Percy Jackson.

* * *

Percy looked at the room in front of him. It was the living room, and at the very end was the door where he could escape for a while. However, there was something blocking his way.

Gabe.

His stepfather was sprawled on the couch, beer bottles scattered all around him. The TV was still playing, showing a show Percy would never even think about watching. Gabe was snoring, and even ten feet away from him, Percy could scrunched his nose when he smelled the faint scent of whiskey.  
But Percy was used to it by now.

Growing up with an abusive stepfather, Percy had no childhood. His mother had passed away when he was just a couple days old, dying from a heart attack. There was no Mother's Day for Percy. No Father's Day. No birthday parties. No "father-son" time. Of course, there was verbal abuse. Physical abuse, throwing of beer bottles. Stealing beer bottles at four in the morning.

Yet, Percy pretended to be happy at school, in front of others. He tried to make everybody smile, just so they wouldn't be like him. In attempts to hide how broken and tired he was, he put on a smile.

Percy quietly went through the room, praying Gabe wouldn't wake up. He passed Gabe, holding in his breath and almost flinched when Gabe mumbled something incomprehensible in his sleep.

When he reached the door, Percy let out a sigh of relief. Opening the door, he winced when he heard the squeak of the door. Opening the door just big enough to slip through, he cursed as he left, knowing well he probably woke Gabe.

Percy shivered as the chill of dawn rushed through him, sending shivers down his spine. He stuck his hands in his pockets and started walking towards the street. The house where Gabe and him lived in was not a large neighborhood, but their house was at the very end, then it split between houses on the left, and right.  
Percy always loved walking towards the left houses, remembering how him and his old childhood best friend, Annabeth used to sneak out as 12 year olds at night and morning, and used to walk together there. There was just something about dawn, the feeling of a new day and new start, and knowing he could control what he did today.

Percy and Annabeth had separated once high school started, both finding new friends and new people. Percy had always had a crush on Annabeth, and even three years later, it hadn't gone away.

Shaking off the thoughts, Percy decided to take the right path this time. He noticed the sky was a light pink color, and the sun was almost up.  
As he walked, he saw Annabeth's house up, and he felt a burst of emotion as he remembered all the memories him and Annabeth had done in that very house. He walked towards it, a strange feeling in his stomach.

He missed Annabeth's grey eyes and the way they used to shine. The way her hair used to flow in the wind and how she was willing to help Percy with his dyslexia.  
Lost in thoughts, Percy jumped when something hard hit his head. He looked down, where the object had fallen and saw it was a rock. "Ow! What the hell?"

Even though it had been years, Percy remembered Annabeth meeting when he had accidently thrown a rock at her roof, and how it had woken her up. The rock was an oval and it was extremely smooth. Percy remembered finding it when he snuck out to go to the beach as an 11 year old, which was not too far from his home.  
He smiled at the memory, but then looked up to see who had hit him with the rock.

He came in contact with piercing grey eyes, the same ones he had spent nights thinking about.

Annabeth Chase.

 **A/N: I was up 'till like five in the morning working on this and I hope you guys like this, I'm not sure whether I'll continue this or not, but yeah, thanks for reading! Keep smiling, xxx.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

 **A/N: Oh, look! I finally updated. I never knew or thought this would turn out to be a whole story, but maybe it will, considering you guys liked it so much. But okay...what did I do to get so many follows and favorites in less than 24 hours? I love you guys. I don't know what I did to deserve such amazing readers, and I know I'm nothing special, but you guys truly make my days with your reviews. Thank you. Anyways, onto the second chapter of "Broken" I hope you guys like it!**

Percy's P.O.V:

Percy looked up and his eyes met the piercing grey eyes he had spent nights thinking about.

Annabeth Chase.

From what it seemed like, she was sitting on the roof of her home, perfectly calm.

Although, once she saw Percy, her eyes widened. "Oh my gods, did I hit you?"

Even though it was irrelevant, Percy couldn't help but grin at the fact that she used their old joke, "oh my gods", even three years later. He nodded, trying to ignore the pounding of his heart, "Yeah. You did."

Percy couldn't hear was she was saying, but it sounded as though she was cursing.

Since the front door was right across the fence that Percy was standing from, he could hear faint shouting and yelling. A pang went through him when he remembered Annabeth and him talking about her parents endlessly arguing, and Annabeth crying in front of him when they were eleven. They were still fighting?

When he looked up again, he saw her jump down from the roof to her balcony, landing perfectly. Stretching her legs, as if it were nothing, she swung her legs over the balcony, and walked over to him, opening the fence.

"I am so sorry," She said, before Percy could say anything, "I didn't mean to hit you, I swear."

Percy smiled. When he looked at her, he realized she was wearing shorts with old flip flops and a purple tank top. It seemed as though her style had never changed, yet when he looked at her face more clearly, she seemed different. Even though Percy had seen her through the hallways in between classes, he never really took a better look at her. Her cheekbones were more prominent, and her grey eyes were absolutely gorgeous now. Her blonde hair was up in a ponytail, one strand of her having escaped, framing her face perfectly. She was still chin height compared to Percy, but she had grown quite a bit, Percy noticed.

"Is there something on my face?" Annabeth asked, looking at Percy questioningly.

Percy had the sudden urge to hug her, something he had never felt before. He realized he was staring, and shook his head, "Nothing."

"It's been a while," Annabeth said, and Percy saw her shiver.

Making a split decision, Percy took his hoodie off and handed it to her, making her smile. It made him oddly happy to know he had been the source of her smile.

"Thanks," Annabeth said, and Percy nodded.

"It has been a while," He confirmed, "How are you, Wise Girl?"

Annabeth grinned, and Percy's heart fluttered, though he tried to ignore it. "Fine, I guess. How are you, Seaweed Brain?"

Percy shrugged, wanting to tell her about Gabe, but at the same time not wanting to. He had just talked to her, after years, but to him, it felt like they were just apart for a couple hours, and nothing had changed. He grinned when Annabeth used the old nickname, remembering how they had given their nicknames to each other, when they were ten.

 _Annabeth laughed as Percy fell into the water at the beach, her eyes shining. Annabeth had pushed him while they were walking along the beach, and him being Percy, he had tripped over his own feet, falling backwards onto the water, soaking his shirt and shorts._

 _They had sneaked out to the beach when Annabeth had came over to Percy's house, tears in her eyes, and Percy had decided to take her to the beach while Gabe was at work. Annabeth's older brother, Malcolm, was home for the summer from university at Columbia, and he had agreed to be their chaperone, sneaking them out when Annabeth's parents weren't home._

" _I hate you," He grumbled, and attempted to get back up, but his foot got caught in seaweed, resulting in him falling, for the second time in the water, this time soaking both his face and all his clothes._

 _Annabeth grinned as she looked at Percy, who was sprawled on the water, "You better get out before the tide comes in," She stepped into the water, holding her hand out for Percy to take._

 _An idea hit Percy, and smirking, he took Annabeth's hand, but instead of pulling himself up, he pulled Annabeth down with him, making her fall on top of him, laughing._

" _Oh, you just asked for it, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth's hair was soaked, her t-shirt and jeans also, but nonetheless, she was laughing along with him._

" _Seaweed Brain?" Percy asked, eyebrows raised at the nickname._

 _Annabeth nodded, and giggling, she pointed to his hair, which had seaweed stuck in it. Percy sighed, and looked up at his best friend, who was now watching the sea in the distance, "What are you doing?"_

" _Calculating when the tide will come in," She replied, as if it were something she did everyday. Her eyebrows were scrunched and she was biting her lip, which, Percy thought, made her look adorable._

 _Percy snorted. "Wise Girl, much?"_

 _Percy heard a rumbling sound, and Annabeth suddenly got out of the water, picking herself up with grace, something Percy never had. Her hair whipped around with the wind, even though it was soaking wet._

 _She looked at Percy, eyebrows raised, "Are you going to get out before the tide hits, Seaweed Brain? It's right behind you."_

Percy smiled at the faint memory, missing the old times with him and Annabeth. He wished they could go back to being little kids, where suddenly everything was less simple. "I'm fine, how's life?"

Annabeth shrugged, "Fine. Yours?"

Percy could tell Annabeth was hiding something by the way her shoulders seemed stiff, "What's wrong?"

Annabeth looked surprised, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Percy said, "I know you, and it seems like something's wrong."

Annabeth shook her head, "Nothing's wrong," But Percy could see the tone of her voice had changed, and it suddenly became quieter, as though she was trying to hide something.

Annabeth looked surprised, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Percy said, "I know you, and it seems like something's wrong."

Annabeth shook her head, "Nothing's wrong," But Percy could see the tone of her voice had changed, and it suddenly became quieter, as though she was trying to hide something.

Percy raised his eyebrows, but was cut off by Annabeth.

"Oh, crap. What time is it?" She asked, suddenly worried.

Percy checked his clock, "6:03 am, why?"

Annabeth's eyes widened, "Oh, shit. I have to go."

Percy opened his mouth to say something but saw Annabeth suddenly left, opening the gate of her lawn in a hurry.

Although, before shutting the gate behind her, Annabeth smiled at him. "Cya around, Seaweed Brain."

Silently smiling and waving to her, Percy took a deep breath once Annabeth had left, not knowing what was wrong with him.

He saw the rock he had been hit with, and walking over to it, he picked it up, wrapping his fingers around it.

Smiling faintly, Percy decided to go home, if he could even call it that.

Taking a deep breath and preparing day another day of abuse, Percy set off to his "house", the rock still held tightly in his hand.

* * *

Percy nodded as Rachel told him about her day.

They were at the park, sitting together on a bench, the afternoon after Percy's incident with Annabeth.

"..So he got so pissed at me when he found a bunch of paintings and paint hidden underneath my bed, he said he would make sure I wouldn't became an 'American slut' and honestly I hate it." Rachel, Percy's girlfriend, told him, sighing and and putting her face on her hands.

Percy smiled, and removed her hands from her face, revealing her emerald green eyes. "Look, Rachel, I know things are hard. But you're amazing, and you can do whatever you want in life. Once you turn eighteen, the world is yours, so just remember that."

Percy and Rachel had started dating in the summer of eighth grade, when she had kissed him while they were hanging out at the park. He had agreed in hopes of getting Annabeth out of his mind, and even though it was shallow, it had helped a little bit. A little.

He had ended up falling for her as they became closer, and even in the summer of freshman year, he was still dating her, but with feelings.

Rachel smiled at him. "I'll keep that in mind. It just hasn't been the same with mom gone, you know? He's suddenly all colder now."

Percy nodded, knowing what it felt like to lose a mom. His mother, Sally, had died due to a car accident when he was ten, and since Percy didn't know where his father was, he had to live with Gabe.

"I understand," Percy said, "but Rachel, I'm always here for you, alright? Don't forget that."

Rachel smiled at him, and she leaned it, "I know."

Percy leaned in, repeating the motion, and when their lips met, Percy couldn't help but notice something.

Just like any other time Rachel and Percy kissed, he felt no spark.

* * *

Percy shut the door behind him, praying Gabe hadn't noticed he was gone.

Of course, Percy never had luck on his side. Gabe was waiting for him the second he entered, his bald head shining against the lights and his jaw clenched in anger.  
"Where the hell have you been?" He snarled, the half-empty beer bottle shaking in his hand as he came towards Percy.

Instinctively, Percy backed away from him until his back hit the wall, and he had no way of getting away from Gabe.

Smart move, Jackson.

"I was with Rachel," Percy replied, sounding more confident than he really was. He saw no point in lying to him, knowing very well if Gabe found out he lied, even for just a little thing, he would just get beat.

Gabe growled and came closer to him until Percy could smell the whiskey on his breath. "Didn't I tell you not to hang out with that girl?"

Percy couldn't help but snort. "You've told me a lot of shit, in case you've forgotten."

Percy knew he said the wrong thing when Gabe's jaw clenched and his eyes filled with anger.

Growling, Gabe lifted his beer bottle up, and threw it at Percy, the beer bursting out, and laughing when the shards of glass pierced through Percy's skin, making him cry out in pain.

 **A/N: There it is, Chapter 2 of Broken! What did you guys think? Too short? OOC? Let me know! I checked my inbox the other day, and holy Poseidon. 16 reviews? Okay. Let's just take a moment and remember the fact that this was posted 3 days ago. And 9 favorites? Again, three days ago. 22 follows? Three days ago. This, this means so much to me, you guys. I'm so happy you guys like this. Now, before I start going on and on, I'll answer the absolutely amazing reviews!**

 **theartnerd333: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked it! :)**

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 **Guest: I'm happy you liked this, love! I hope you like this chapter as well!**

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 **FoggyNights.p2: Thank you! I am continuing it! :)**

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 **ShatteredOwl: Don't worry, that kinda guy. I am continuing it! ;)**

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 **That's it, all 16 reviews! Anyways, updates on this may be slow since I just have so much planned for my other story, TWSH, and yeah. I will try to keep the time equal between them, however! Thank you for everybody's that read this, it means a ton to me. Stay safe, you guys. Keep smiling, xxx.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

Shutting her eyes tight, Annabeth tried to ignore the voices coming from the other side of her room.

"Then you go around having affairs with other women!" She heard her mother yell from outside her locked room, her voice higher several octaves.

Taking a deep breath, Annabeth got out of her bed, all hopes of sleeping vanishing.

She walked over to her window, running her hands through her mess of blonde curls she had left open before lying down, three hours ago.

The sky was dark black, almost pitch black. Stars decorated the sky, placed in random areas. Even though it wasn't neat or organized, Annabeth loved how something so unorganized could create such beauty. How you didn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.

She could hear the distant sounds of airplanes even without the window open, and she longed to get away. From everything.

For a second, Annabeth was tempted to open her window and run. For the millionth time in less than a month.

It wasn't like anybody would notice, particularly her parents.

It wasn't like Annabeth was a complete loner, though. She had her best friend, Silena and more friends in school. Although, she wasn't the one to attract attention, her head buried in books half the time. Annabeth liked it that way, not being popular and attracting attention.

Still, when she was asked to go to the mall with her friends, Annabeth either lied with an excuse, or said she was busy. She wasn't antisocial, but hated meeting up with friends after school. Her father refused to let her go, either way, thinking she was going out to drink and do drugs, which was to say a lot.

The only person that she had really ever talked to after school, years ago, was her former best friend.

Percy.

When Annabeth saw him, and the fact that him and his messy raven hair had not changed, her heart rate sped up. Annabeth wasn't the girl to get caught up with boys, let alone fall in love with them, but she wasn't sure whether she was or wasn't in love with Percy.

She was fifteen, and knew that she was too young to understand love, anyways. Yet she couldn't help but think about Percy and how he looked both different and the same when they used to be younger, and play in the park together.

He had told her about his secrets and Gabe ever since they were ten, but he had stopped talking to her after high school.

But she knew she had better things to do than crush over a boy in high school, who already had a girlfriend for almost a year. _Even_ if she was the one that liked Percy first, she knew it was stupid and irrational to try to hate Rachel, and if Percy liked her, then Annabeth wouldn't get in the way of their relationship.

Sighing, Annabeth stopped herself from thinking about Percy, once again.

Annabeth jumped when the door of her room burst open, whipping her head towards the doorway.

Standing there was a silhouette she couldn't see clear due to the darkness of the room, but she guessed it was her mother due to the frame.

Flipping the light switch next to her door, Athena looked at Annabeth in surprise, "Annabeth? Why are you still awake? It's nearly midnight!"

Her voice was tired and heavy, like she was forcing herself to speak. Athena had dark bags under her piercing grey eyes that Annabeth had inherited, making it look like she hadn't slept in days, which Annabeth wouldn't have been surprised if she didn't. Her brown hair was up in a messy bun, several strands having fallen out.

Annabeth blinked, momentarily blinded by the light.

She raised her eyebrows, suddenly irritated at her mother. "Are you and dad done arguing yet?"

Athena heaved a sigh and shut her eyes for a moment before opening them again, "Annabeth-,"

"I'm sorry," Annabeth said, sarcastically, going to sit on her bed, "I couldn't sleep due to the sound of you and dad screaming your lungs out at each other."

She didn't know why, but Annabeth felt frustration bubbling up inside of her at the fact that she had lost another day of sleep because of her parents yelling.

Athena sighed, "Honey, I'm sorr-,"

"No," Annabeth replied, "You're not."

Normally, Annabeth wasn't this rude to her mother, but today was different

"Will you let me finish? Annabeth, you're not hearing me ou-,"

For the third time, Annabeth cut her off. "Hold on, do you need something I was going to sleep," She added, lying.

Athena opened her mouth as if she were going to say something. Then, shaking her head, she looked at Annabeth. "Nothing," She said, "I just wanted to say goodnight."

Surprised, Annabeth tried to say something but with a small smile, Athena shut the lights off once again, as well as the door, muttering something incomprehensible, and leaving Annabeth with the darkness of the night.

* * *

Percy's P.O.V:

Percy hissed through clenched teeth as he rubbed the alcohol swab through his cut skin, sending waves of pain and sting throughout his body.

Cuts were spread throughout his whole arm, from where Gabe's beer bottle had hit it, three hours ago. After spreading at least an hour trying to get the shards of glass out while Gabe was out drinking, Percy waited a couple hours before he cleaned the cut, completely exhausted. He struggled to stay conscious, not only because of the amount of blood, but because he had been up for almost three days without any sleep.

Fortunately, all the glass that was protruding out of his skin earlier had been removed by tweezers he had found in a package in one of the bathroom cabinets.

Blood was literally everywhere on the sink, from the counter to the mirror from where Percy accidentally put his arm to prevent himself from slipping earlier.

Percy knew there must be more glass in the living room where Gabe had thrown it, and if he didn't pick it up by the time he got home, Percy would get beat by him once again.

He looked at himself in the mirror, at his dull green eyes and his messy hair that he knew would be impossible to tame, and felt like crying.

But he couldn't. Growing up, Gabe had told him pain was just a feeling, just like happiness, and just like we loved to be happy, it was possible that Percy could learn to love pain just as much.

At first Percy thought it was a sick saying, but gradually, he thought that Gabe was right. Maybe you could learn to love pain, and get used to it.

Shaking his head, Percy forced himself to focus on cleaning his cuts out before Gabe came home and cleaning the place. Cleaning out the last cut, which was also the largest, stretching from his elbow to almost all of his wrist.

Percy had cleaned out all of his cuts, putting different sized band-aids on them, not knowing or having anything else to put. He cursed when he realized he had ran out of band-aids, and needed something to stop the bleeding, which still hadn't stopped for some reason.

Opening all the cabinets in search of any Band-Aids that had escaped the box, Percy shut his eyes in frustration and cursed under his breath when he had no luck.

He knew he couldn't walk around with a hoodie all day, considering it was July third, and in triple digits. He also knew he couldn't exactly walk around with numerous bandages on his arm, but decided he would wear his hoodie.

That was, if he ever found a way to stop the bleeding. Cursing a "fuck," He looked at the clock on his wrist, he breathed a sigh of relief seeing it was barely one. He still had about three hours before Gabe came home.

Grabbing paper towels from the roll that sat on the counter, Percy quickly threw out the shards of glass, throwing them out the window of the bathroom, and wrapping the bandages and bloody tissues, he flushed them down the toilet, one by one, suddenly anxious.

He put the extra towel papers, using them as band-aids of some sort and pressed them onto his wrist, gritting his teeth in pain. Leaving the bathroom, Percy realized he would somehow need something to stop the bleeding and to prevent his cut from getting infected.

Shrugging his hoodie on with his arm stuck out, Percy left the house, not daring to look at how messy the wall was at the moment.

The first thought on where to get anything was to ask Annabeth, but looking at their house, he saw both lights were turned off, except for the one in Annabeth's room.

He smiled, looking at it, the gold-ish glow that him and Annabeth used to tell stories in, giggle and play in when they were little.

Then it suddenly hit him at once. The convenience store and the market near Percy would be closed, the time of it shutting being midnight on Thursday.

He knew that going to the store at practically one in the morning was a bad idea, and that it wasn't safe in anyway, but he didn't have a choice if he wanted to stop the bleeding and he knew how bad it would turn from when he was ten and the same thing had happened. Although, he hadn't done anything to his scars, resulting in them getting infected.

Percy knew that there were no more Band-Aids in the house and could feel the blood soaking through the towel papers and onto his hoodie.

Annabeth. He knew she always kept bandages in her room, and feeling light-headed, Percy guessed he didn't have much of a choice but to ask her.

Percy was still outside his house, and he had no trouble walking over to Annabeth's house, but his nervousness was killing him.

Would she ask him why? What would he say? What if she was sleeping or her parents answered?

Making a decision in a split second, he walked over to the side of her house, Percy picked up a rock on the sidewalk, the sound of crickets and cascadas ringing in his ears.

Throwing them up at her window, Percy winced when he heard the sound of the rock hitting the window.

He counted exactly three seconds before the window opened, and Annabeth's head poked out. Percy was surprised she was still awake.

Hr couldn't see her clearly through the darkness, but he saw her look left and right before she found Percy. He saw her grey she's glint and she made a motion with her hand, that Percy guessed was a "get up here" gesture.

Hoping it was, and with Percy's heart pounding, he grabbed the mismatched bricks of her house, careful to not hurt his injured left wrist, he attempted to get up and not break his neck. Grabbing the pipe for support, Percy pulled himself up onto the extra ledge of Annabeth's window.

Her room was dark, except for her small light of the golden lamp glowing. He saw the light illuminate her blonde hair, and Percy couldn't help but think she was beautiful.

She looked at him worriedly, "Percy? What's wrong?"

Percy sighed, heart racing, "I need a Band-Aid."

Annabeth's eyes flashed with something Percy couldn't recognize. "Percy.. Why?"

Finding no point in lying, Percy promptly took his hoodie off, showing her the bloody tissue, angling it perfectly so she could see it through the light of the lamp. Annabeth knew about Gabe, and Percy knew she wouldn't tell anybody.

He saw her eyes widened, and she gasped. "Was this Gabe?" She asked, her voice laced sadness and anger.

Percy just nodded and she shook her head, "It hasn't gotten better with him?"

Shaking his head, Percy remained silent, not trusting himself to speak.

Annabeth looked at him with sad eyes, "Give me a second."

She rushed off, and for a second Percy thought she had left, but a moment later, she came back, three boxes of Band-Aids in her hand.

Percy stared at her, open-mouthed, "You know I only need one, not all you have."

Annabeth shook her head, "It's the least I could do, Seaweed Brain."  
"Wise Girl," Percy told her, smiling, "Just give me one."

"Just take it," Annabeth said, persistent. She looked behind her, her face glowing in the light, then back at Percy, "Besides, you need it more than I do."

 **A/N: YAY! It's the tenth anniversary of Percy Jackson's first book coming out! Hooray! It's kinda sad yet happy to know how far our hero has come..isn't it? Long live the PJO fandom! And, another chapter of Broken. What do you guys think? I feel like the Annabeth and her mom part is OOC, but yeah, anyways. I have a killer headache right now but stayed up late to finish this and I hope you guys like it. I apologize if it isn't perfect or as good as you guys were expecting, but it's kinda hard to balance the updates between TWSH and Broken. I'll shut up, now. Let's get into the reviews!**

 **marinaofthesea12: Aww, thank you! I'm so glad you liked it, love!**

 **greekgeekgirlbro: Aww, thanks! I'm really glad you liked this. I hope you liked this as well, love! Are they blue cookies?**

 **LucyTheCrazyUnicorn: Of course they are! :)**

 **Guest: Aww, thank you! I'm so glad you liked this!**

 **ShatteredOwl: Here it is! I hope you liked this, that kinda guy!**

 **Bobbymichaels: Aw, thanks! I'm glad you can feel like you're actually in the story (I hope you didn't mean it as though you can relate or something.)! But my stories aren't that good, but I am so happy you think they are, love!**

 **Weaselswillrule: Don't worry, weasel! I'm not :)**

 **pjojellybeans: Aww, thank you! This is so kind, I'm glad you like this! :)**

 **theartnerd333: You're reviews never fail to make me smile! Thank you, oh gosh, this is so nice! I'm so glad you liked this.. Oh god. I'm speechless of your kindness.. Thank you! TWSH will be updated soon, so yeah :) and I feel bad too, but I can't give out spoilers, I guess you'll have to wait and see what happens. Anyways, thank you so much! :)**

 **Valdez-The-Repair-Girl chapter: Yeah, I understand that. I just need something to get in the way of them or something (and that probably sounds stupid). Of course, I don't intend on making this exactly on what happens in the TLO, also. Also, I don't find Gabe as that abusive, either, but what's the harm in another twist? I hope you don't mind, however. Although, I mean, we can't exactly judge Gabe on how he was really like, because after TLT, there wasn't much mention of him. But anyways, yeah, I'll be adding the other characters, also. I honestly hope I didn't come off as rude? Thank you! You're awesome :)**

 **And that's the end of the reviews! I have a ton to say, but I feel like you guys get annoyed at how much I write/talk in my author's notes, so I'll try to talk/write as less as I can. Anyways, happy PJO anniversary! _#LongLivePJO_**

 **I have a killer headache again, so I'll best be heading off to bed, considering it's almost four in the morning. Stay safe, and keep smiling, xxx.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

"Annabeth?" A voice said behind her, and Annabeth almost jumped, dropping the glass of water from her hand.

She turned to see her mother, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, folders tucked in her hand. Athena's eyes were dark and tired, mirroring Annabeth's. Her brown hair was let down, and Annabeth could see she was exhausted by the way they messily fell in waves on her shoulder, not bothering to be fixed. Bags were clearly visible underneath her eyes, and for a second, Annabeth felt bad for her.

"You're back from work? " Annabeth questioned, "Dad told me you wouldn't back by six, it's only four."

Athena raised her eyebrows, "You're dad's said a lot of things, however, that doesn't mean they're true. Is he out drinking?" Her voice was heavy and ragged.

Annabeth shrugged, "I'm not sure. He's out, though. He left ten minutes after you left for work,"

Athena sighed, running a hand through her hair, "He still isn't back?"

Annabeth shook her head, and Athena nodded.

"Is there anything you need?" Annabeth asked her, looking at the way her mother shut her eyes, as if in pain.

Placing her folders onto the table near the doorway of the kitchen, Athena came towards one of the counters, near where Annabeth was standing. "Can you give me my tylenol? I'm not feeling too well,"

Nodding, Annabeth reached up, and opened one of the wooden cabinets, where Athena kept all the medicine. She looked through the medicine before finding the bottle of Tylenol, and handing it to her mother,who smiled at her in gratification.

"Thank you," Athena told her, and left the kitchen, "If you need me, I'll be in my room!" Athena informed her as Annabeth heard the door of Athena's room, which she didn't share with her husband, shut.

Dumping the rest of the water back into the sink and quickly washing it, having done it for four years, Annabeth knew how to quickly do it by routine.

Walking to her room, which was across from her mother's, Annabeth shut herself in her room. It seemed to her that was the only place that she was going these days. She knew it would be more pleasurable -hell, even more normal-, to for once, go outside and actually do something instead of sitting around.

She looked on her wrists, on the scars she had given herself when she was only eleven years old, not knowing what else to do. Even after four years, they hadn't gone away, and nor did the memories. She remembered once reading an article which had said that every scar on your body made you the beautiful person that you are. However, it wasn't like she believed it.

Tiny scars decorated her whole body, from her legs to her arms, where they became longer. She regretted cutting herself, and now she had to live with her scars forever, all scattered across herself.

Looking at Percy's arm last night, which was caked with blood, Annabeth knew she didn't have it worse. When Percy was young, his mother died, and she knew that had taken an enormous toll on Percy. Even then, he was forced to live with his abusive stepfather, Gabe.

Then, they'd promised to keep each other's secrets, when they were ten, swearing not to tell a single soul.

Annabeth wondered if she should go to Percy's, having spent all night up wondering about him and whether he'd gotten his cut cleaned out.

But her mother was home, and if she found out Annabeth snuck out, Annabeth knew she'd be dead. Yet she wanted to see Percy, so badly. Just to know he was okay.

Making the decision, Annabeth let of go of the grip she had on her sheets, which she didn't know she was holding. Her knuckles had turned white and were now sore.

Brushing it off, Annabeth jumped from her bed and unlocked her door. She knew her father couldn't be back until at least seven, and looking at the clock, she had a little less than two hours and 45 minutes.

She decided to make sure he mother wasn't paying attention, putting her ear against Athena's door, her heart pounding for some strange reason. Silence. She looked underneath Athena's door and saw the lights had been shut off, casting dark shadows against the hardwood floor. Assuming her mother was sleeping, and hoping she was, Annabeth walked over to the kitchen, and silently put on her grey converse.

She didn't know _why_ she wanted to see Percy, but she felt like she had to, a gut feeling in her chest. Maybe he wasn't home. Maybe Gabe would open the door? Annabeth had only met Gabe three times, both where he had tried to touch her in ways that she could never forget.

Throwing her grey cardigan over her tank top, Annabeth grabbed the knob of the back door, which was located in the kitchen, and cold chills went up her spine.

Ignoring it, Annabeth twisted the door open, the typical California sun shining onto her face the moment she opened it.

Even though the sun was shining, a cold and strong breeze ran throughout the air, making Annabeth glad she brought her jacket.

Shutting the door behind her quietly, Annabeth walked over to Percy's house, at the end of the street. Her hair, which was thrown into a messy ponytail, repeatedly hit her face due to the wind, and she pushed it away, irritated.

Percy's home, which was close to her, brought butterflies in her stomach. She didn't know what happened between her and Percy the last few days, considering they had barely talked before, and now she was suddenly checking on him, but to Annabeth, it felt like things had never changed. And she liked it like that.

Slowly coming up to Percy's door, Annabeth suddenly stopped. Her heart was still pounding, and she felt scared, much to her surprise.

 _It's only a door, and you wanted to come here,_ a voice said in her head.

Taking a deep breath, Annabeth knocked on the door before she could back out. With her heart beating rapidly, Annabeth had to take a few breaths to calm herself down. She couldn't understand why she was so nervous to see Percy.

Annabeth counted exactly 54 seconds before the door, and when she saw who it was, Annabeth almost gagged.

Gabe was standing in the doorway, his bald head visible, his repulsive face staring down at her.

When he saw Annabeth, he smirked. "Why, hello there, pretty lady. Anything you need?"

Annabeth shook her head, "Not from you. Is Percy here?"

Gabe's jaw clenched, Annabeth saw, but it was quickly gone. He winked. "Sure thing, pretty lady. I'll call him for you,"

Annabeth nodded, setting her mouth in a straight line, and she averted her gaze to the floor, not wanting to look at Gabe.

Gabe went inside, and Annabeth heard faint yelling, and she winced. It reminded her of her parents arguing repeatedly.

A couple moments later, Percy came to the door, his eyes full of surprise when he saw her. "Annabeth?"

Annabeth's heart fluttered when she saw him. He was wearing a green v-neck that brought out his eyes perfectly, and as always, his raven black hair was a mess, sticking out everywhere.

She blushed when he asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

"Nothing," She lied, "There was just a bug on your face."

Percy looked at her, before shaking his head, a small smile dancing on his lips. "Why are you here?"

What was she supposed to say to that? "I wanted to see if you were okay," Annabeth answered, hoping her voice wouldn't shake.

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

Annabeth sighed silently, at a loss of words when she looked at Percy once again. Gesturing to his arm, Annabeth responded, "Your arm yesterday, how is it?"

Percy smiled, and she could see his green eyes dancing, "I got it cleaned out, don't worry. Thanks for the Band-Aids, by the way. I really appreciate it."

Annabeth smiled back at him, unable to help it. "I don't mind at all. If there's anything you need, Seaweed BRain, I'm always here."

Percy smiled at her, "Right back at you, Wise Girl."

Annabeth shifted her cardigan the wind blow through the air again, "Yeah."

An unwanted tension rose between them, making the air awkward.

"How are your parents? Do they still argue?" Percy asked her, his voice a tone Annabeth couldn't recognize, but she could swear it got quieter.

"It doesn't matter, Percy, it's not nearly as bad as yours, all they do is say stuff and argue," Annabeth replied, smiling slightly at him.

"That's bad," Percy said with a frown, "I thought it would have stopped."

Annabeth shrugged, slightly flattered at Percy's concen, "It doesn't matter. It's not as bad as yours."

Percy looked startled, "Everything between Gabe and I is alright." He spoke, but Annabeth could see he was lying.

"So," She asked, said, "That's why your arm is full of cuts?"

"Fine," Percy admitted, "It's not as good as I want it to be, but still."

"Still?" Annabeth questioned, eyebrows raised.

"You're parents are constantly fighting and verbally abusing you, Wise Girl, I want you safe," Percy said, changing the subject, concern clearly in his voice. The sun shone in his hair, making it seem even darker, almost blue.

"I am safe, trust me." Annabeth assured him.

Percy nodded, "I hope you are."

Annabeth looked at him questioningly, It's you you should be worried about, not me,"

"Sometimes," Percy told her, looking at her intently, "Verbal abuse is just as capable of breaking people -if not more, than physical."

Annabeth shrugged, again. "It doesn't really matter, we aren't here to compare each other stories."

Percy leaned against the wall, saying nothing. He stared at her as she stared at the ground. When she looked up, their gazes met.

He stared back at her, his sea-green eyes staring back into Annabeth's Greg ones. Annabeth suddenly had the urge to grab him and kiss him.

She notified the curve of his cheekbones, his dark spider-long lashes that curled at the ends. His lips were the perfect-

Annabeth was brought back to reality when Percy cleared his throat, looking away.

"I, uh," He stammered, running his hands through his hair, making it even messier, "I have to go."

Annabeth felt the heat on her face, "Yeah, bye."

Percy smiled at her, his own face flushed, "Cya later?"

"Later," Annabeth confirmed. Without thinking, Annabeth reached on her tip-toes and kissed Percy on the cheek, feeling an electric current go through her.

His cheek was soft, and for a moment, Annabeth's lips lingered before she realized what she was doing.

Heat rushed through her face as Percy stared at her, startled. "Well, bye."

Percy nodded, unable to speak.

Percy smiled weakly at her and waved, as he opened the door to go inside. As he went inside, Annabeth turned around, trying to keep her beating heart, once again.

Looking at the position of the sun, Annabeth guessed it was around 4: 30.

Not feeling like going home, Annabeth ran to the park that was located near her. The wind blew in her hair, wildly whipping it around.

When she reached the park, two minutes later, Annabeth sat down onto the bench, nearly panting. The metal pressed against her skin and Annabeth felt strange relief through her.

She looked around and saw people all around, couples, kids, teenagers, were all around the park, and Annabeth wasn't surprised. The local park always had people, whether it was winter or summer.

Faintly, Annabeth heard the sounds of fireworks setting off, exploding into the air.

 _Of course,_ she remembered. _The Fourth of July was tomorrow._

 __Trying to ignore the feeling of butterflies and the fact that she had kissed Perseus Jackson, Annabeth stared off into the distance.

Sure, it was on the cheek, but Percy Jackson's cheek.

A couple, sitting on the bench, about 10 feet away from her, caught Annabeth's eye.

A man, who had striking familiar blonde hair was sitting next to a woman, a brunette. They were kissing, Annabeth saw, and when they broke apart, she caught the man's eye.

Blue eyes.

Her father.

His face morphed into something of complete surprise, and a shock ran throughout her body.

There her father was, kissing another woman, while his wife was at home.

Disgust creeped up in Annabeth as she remembered how much Athena had done for Frederick.

And there he was, cheating on her.

Annabeth stood up, the same time Fredrick did. The woman next to him, who Annabeth noticed had brown eyes, looked at Annabeth, saying something to Frederick.

"Annabeth!" Her dad called after her as she set off running, again.

The calls turned louder, but Annabeth just wanted to get home, wishing she'd never seen what she saw.

She listened to the sound of her converse slamming against the pavement, the blood rushing in her ears.

As she came closer to home, Annabeth saw Athena, outside, looking out worriedly, from the front door, yelling her name.

When she saw Annabeth, relief was evident on her face.

Annabeth reached the front door, and she came to a halt.

"Annabeth?" Her mother asked, wrapping her arms around Annabeth, much to her surprise, "Oh, honey, I thought you'd run off!"

Surprised at Athena's sudden change of behavior, Annabeth felt the strange urge to hug her, tightly, feeling as though she was about to cry.

Annabeth embraced her mother, something she hadn't done in years, feeling her worries going away.

"No," She told Athena as they broke apart, "I'm not going anywhere, mom. I swear."

 **A/N: Okay, so this didn't turn out exactly as I expected, but I'm sorry for not updating, and for this being horrible. I've been feeling sick lately, and nothing's been going right. I apologize.**

 **Now, onto the reviews!**

 **Guest: Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter! :)**

 **Abbydabbydo16: This was way too sweet for me, I almost seriously cried. Thank you! :)**

 ******theartnerd333: I'm so glad you think so! This means so much! :)**

 ******Someone the World Forgot: Oh, dang. That sucks. I'm stuck studying, too. Well, he can't because of Gabe finds out, he can kill Percy, whether it's from his friends or himself. And oh gosh, I know! I don't intend on making her a bitch, I swear. Believe me, I hope she doesn't come off as a bitch. Sorry if it does, love! Thanks, and I hope you liked this chapter!**

 ******marinaofthesea12: Aw, thank you! The fact that you care is so sweet :) I hope you liked this, too!**

 ******greekgeekgirlbro: Haha, of course! Thank you! That quote kept me going through a hard time, but I bet you wouldn't care, haha. But anyways, yeah! Thanks! :)**

 **Valdez-The-Repair-Girl: Aw, thanks! I honestly love your reviews so much (and your pen-name). You weren't rude at all, love! Yeah, I won't make her a bitch, wasn't planning to :) Thanks! :)**

 **That's it! It's currently 4:03 am right now, while I'm uploading this, and I don't have much to say, except for that Bad Boy Supreme's birthday is on the seventh!**

 **I'll TRY to update soon for TWSH, but oh crap, I haven't even started yet. I will, try, though. Sorry for being so late.  
Anyways, stay safe and keep smiling, xxx.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

Percy's P.O.V:

Percy felt terrible as he leaned his against the dining table, the sharp edge poking his side.

Gabe came from the doorway, another beer in his hand, and Percy felt like kicking him as hard as he could.

He looked at Percy, his mouth set in one of his permanent disgusting frowns, "You done yet?"

"Depends," Percy said, leaning even harder against the table, wanting to feel the pain, "Am I supposed to be?"

Gabe narrowed his eyes and nodded, watching Percy with a dangerous look.

"Then," Percy said, almost smirking, "No."

Percy didn't exactly know why he was feeling like getting on Gabe's nerves today, knowing perfectly well that Gabe could hit him, but he felt a rush of anger towards Gabe, more than usual.

Gabe snarled at him, and immediately, Percy knew he hit the wrong note. "Listen up, kid, my buddies are coming over in less than two minutes, and this place _better_ be cleaned."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "You mean you'll hit me if it isn't?"

Gabe rolled his eyes, and Percy almost snickered at how stupid he looked. "No," Gabe said, his voice steady. "I'll kill you."

Percy couldn't help himself, he laughed. "Then, who's going to do the dishes? The laundry? Clean the bathroom? The kitchen? Waste their time to make food for you? Endure your stupidness for years?"

Gabe looked at him with a cold look in his eyes, and Percy instantly regretted saying anything. He growled at him, in a disgusting way, and before Percy could realize what was happening, Gabe raised his arm and swung at him, hitting his fist with Percy's cheek.

Pain spread all throughout Percy's body, all his nerves screaming. Of course, Percy didn't exactly have a choice, resulting in him biting his lip from crying out.

He could feel blood rushing through his cheek, and knew Gabe had taken one of his harder blows.

Gabe growled at him, again. When he spoke, disgust was coloring his tone. "Look at you, you worthless bastard. Is that what you call a man? You're fucking pathetic, Jackson. You disgust me. Cowering away in fear? When will you learn to love pain?"

Percy bit his cheek, hard. _I'll never become you._

When Percy didn't answer him, Gabe kicked Percy in the stomach, and Percy looked up at him, forcing his eyes not to water. Percy could feel vomit rising in his throat, and with effort, he swallowed it down, gagging at the taste.

"Answer me," Gabe sneered, and Percy resisted the urge to spit on him.

"I," Percy spoke, hatred filling his voice, "will _never_ become like you."

A smirk dancing on Gabe's horrid lips, "No wonder your mom left you. Filthy bastard, why would anybody want you? Sally was right, you are worthless. How does it feel, kid? Knowing your own mother hated you? Left you because she didn't want you? Didn't need you? That's right, _because nobody needs you._ "

Percy's heart felt like it was getting stabbed repeatedly. Every mention of his mother was a jab to the heart, and when Gabe said those words, Percy felt like dying. He never went to sleep without wondering why Sally left, and for years, Gabe had convinced him she wanted to get into the car accident- wanted to get away from Percy.

Even though he never knew his mother, Percy knew it was the truth. Why would his mother have wanted him, anyway? It made no sense.

Percy looked up at Gabe, who was staring back at him with a bitter grin. "She didn't hate me."

Gabe made a sarcastic noise, raising his eyebrow. "Yeah? Then what makes you think-"

He was interrupted when the doorbell rang, the sound echoing throughout the room. Gabe's "buddies".

"In your room," Gabe snarled, "And don't come out."

Silently, Percy set off to his room, and when he reached it, he slammed the door behind him, hoping Gabe heard it.

His chest feeling heavy, Percy slid his back onto the door, the wood pressing against his skin.

He realized he was crying when he felt his cheeks soaked, and quickly brushed them away, hating himself at the fact that he cried.

Percy hadn't cried in years, he couldn't remember the last time he cried, and here he was, crying because of the stupid bastard.

He _hated_ how Gabe could and had been ruining his life, with just a single word about his mother. How he could be so abusive and manipulative, and Percy would just let him.

Of course, Percy hated himself for giving Gabe that power, for not learning to love pain like Gabe told him he should. He hated himself for being so weak, and for letting Gabe hurt him so easily.

Percy felt numb, as he clenched his fists together, hearing the sounds of Gabe's friends laughter booming, as they clinked their beer glasses together.

Suddenly, Percy got up angrily. He didn't know what he was doing exactly, but he felt his feet taking him to his closet, where he took a dark black bag out. Kneeling over it, Percy opened one of the smallest pockets, and before he knew what he was doing, pulled out something he hadn't seen in months.

The item was cool against his skin, and Percy went back to leaning against the wall, his breathing heavy.

It glinted against the light, and it brought shivers to Percy's skin as he touched it, remembering the old memories.

He traced the razor against his skin, the sharp edge poking at his wrist.

Gabe's words echoed in his head, _you worthless bastard. Is that what you call a man? You're fucking pathetic, Jackson. You disgust me. How does it feel, kid? Knowing your own mother hated you? Left you because she didn't want you? Didn't need you? That's right, because nobody needs you._

Biting his lip, Percy shut his eyes as he slid the razor against his wrist.

Numbing the pain.

* * *

Annabeth's P.O.V:

"Annabeth!" Her father's voice echoed throughout the whole house, making Annabeth look up from the book she'd been reading.

"What is it?" She asked, wondering why the hell he had shouted when they were merely five yards away from each other.

"Where's your mother?" He questioned her, slamming a glass full of something -probably beer- onto the table.

Annabeth glared at him, "You care?"

After Frederick came back from "the park", he had regarded Annabeth immediately, when Athena was in the bathroom.

 _Annabeth turned when the front door opened, disgust creeping onto her as she saw her father, Frederick, the top of his shirt undone._

" _You done?" She questioned him, her eyes cold, "You know, from your affair?"_

 _Frederick looked at Annabeth with an annoyed look, like she were a pest. He shut the door, and took his shoes off before answering, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Annabeth."_

 _Annabeth narrowed her eyes, "Really? So what did I see-"_

 _She was cut off by Frederick pushing her against the wall, her back slamming onto the hard cement, making the walls shake and Annabeth's eyes to lose focus for a minute. Frederick grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, bringing it a little too low for Annabeth's comfort, and growled, his breath smelling of beer and something else Annabeth couldn't recognize, "Listen, you saw something you weren't supposed to. If you end up telling Athena, I can swear right now I will make your life a living hell, and you'll wish you would have ever told her."_

 _Annabeth swallowed the bile rising in her throat as she spoke, "Why? It isn't as though my life isn't already miserable." She shrugged. "So go ahead, I will tell mom, and when I do-"_

 _Gabe's grip on her shirt tightening, making it hard for Annabeth to breathe properly, "What the hell am I telling you? Don't. Tell. Her." His voice was steady, as he looked into her eyes, blue ones meeting with piercing grey._

 _Annabeth clawed at his fingers, needing him to let go. All it did was tighten his grip as he smirked._

" _Say it," He said, tightening it by just a little more, "Say you won't tell her. Or I have absolutely no problem suffocating you."_

 _Annabeth shook her head, but couldn't talk. She needed air desperately, and knew Frederick would be willing to suffocate her if she didn't agree._

 _He stared at her, and with no choice, Annabeth nodded. Frederick smirked at let Annabeth go as she gasped for breath, her face flushed._

 _Annabeth glared at her father, "I hate you."_

 _Frederick smirked, repulsively. "Oh, honey, if I could kill you, I would."_

 _Annabeth spat at him, disgusted. Before Annabeth could get away, Frederick spun her around, so they were inches away from each other._

 _His hand went down to the hem of her jeans, and Annabeth gasped as he pinched her flesh, pain tingling up her spine. Trying to push him off, Annabeth felt absolutely disgusted at the fact that her father was attempting to do this._

 _"Let me go," Annabeth demanded, and Frederick rolled his eyes, mockingly._

 _"What if I don't want to?" His hand slid under her shirt, and Annabeth almost threw up._

 _She pushed him away forcefully, with as much strength she could muster, and almost grinned when his back slammed against the edge of a counter._

Frederick looked at her with a look that obviously said "don't you dare bring it up". "Where is she?" He asked again, moving to get a beer from the bottle.

Shaking her head, Annabeth replied, "She's in her room, working."

Frederick turned to face her, "Do you know what day it is today?"

Annabeth looked at him, questioningly, "What?"

Frederick sighed, disappointed. "The Fourth of July."

"Oh," Annabeth said, having forgotten, "Right."

Frederick glared at her, "And do you know what we are doing today?"

Annabeth wracked her brain to remember, but had no success. "No."

"Dumbass," Frederick spoke, "How can you be so fuckimg stupid?"

"I get it from you."

 **A/N: *sigh* You guys know that feeling where you know an idea for a story, know what to write, but just don't know** _ **how**_ **? That's how I'm feeling as of right now. And I am sorry for it, I really am.**

 **But before anything, the reviews! :)**

 **Guest: Stop being so nice to me, oh gosh. Thank you so much! This made my day. :)**

 **I'mAProfessionalFangirl** **: Here you go love, I hope you like it! *squints suspiciously back* Are you sure you're not the best person ever? I'M SO SORRY I COULDN'T UPDATE THE DAY RIGHT AFTER IT'S 3:43 A.M AND I'M WRITING THIS I AM SO SORRY.**

 **pipergrace983: I'm so glad you like this, honestly. Thank you, and I hope you liked this chapter! :D**

 **IAmInvisibru: Can't exactly blame the other writers, though, either, can you? Once school starts my updates are probably going to get significantly slower, so yeah. But anyways, thank you so much, love! :)**

 **ShadowIgnis: I am honestly so glad you think that. Sometimes I get so insecure of my stories and when reviews like this pop up in my inbox it just makes everything-even my whole day better. I'm so glad you like this, and I really hope you liked this chapter! :)**

 **theartnerd333: Oh gods of Olympus this is so nice, thank you! This chapter wasn't the best, but I really hope you like it. Just a little bit. Thank you so much, love! *hugs virtually***

 **Abbydabbydo16: I'm glad you're excited! I hope you like this chapter! :)  
** **LucyTheCrazyUnicorn: Haha, thank you! I have a feeling we'd all like to stab him! :)**

 **pjojellybeans: Holy Poseidon why are you so nice to me? I almost jumped when reading this and thank you so much! I honestly love your reviews so much :)**

 **Someone the World Forgot: Yeah :) and thank you so much! I love that you liked it! :) I hope you liked this chapter as well, love!**

 **greekgeekgirlbro: I'd be surprised if you did care :) and thank you! I might make them bond, not sure yet. I guess we'll have to see. You're reviews are so nice gods of Olympus stop it. You make my day better! :D I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **That's it of the reviews!**

 **Okay, first, I know this chapter is short and I'm sorry. Really. It was eating me alive to know this was so short and I truly hope you guys like this.**

 **Um, I know that TWSH turns 2 months old tomorrow (yay!), and it's our Wise Girl's birthday too, but I haven't even started the chapter for TWSH and yeah, sue me. I'm sorry.**

 **But anyways, stay safe and keep smiling, xxx.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

Percy's P.O.V:

Percy hissed through clenched teeth as the razor dug into his skin, and watched the blood seep out of the cut he had created. Just one cut, which was at least three inches, and Percy already felt as though he was hooked again.

Strangely, the feeling was comforting in a way. The blood that was seeping slowly through the cut. He felt as though the blood was the tension on his shoulders, the pain, and it was slowly fading out.

Without even thinking, Percy lowered the razor to his wrist, again, feeling dark. He sliced it, once again through his skin, enough force to make blood come out rapidly. He took a deep breath, and cut again, this time on his lower wrist. The pain wasn't there anymore, and Percy simply felt numb.

Thinking about his mom, and how his dad left, he cut again, ignoring the blood coming out of the other cuts. _No wonder your dad left. Your mom died, and it was your fault, you stupid bastard._

Again, and again, the cuts grew in size and force until Percy's whole wrist was bloody and scarred.

Percy felt completely calm as he looked at the cuts. He felt absolutely nothing as the sight of his bloody wrist, now decorated with fresh cuts. Sighing, he leaned his head back against the door, and shut his eyes, his wet blood dripping onto his arm.

 _Maybe I'm just not good enough._

 _Maybe I don't have a future, after all._

 _Maybe people are better off without me._

 _Maybe I'm just a burden._

 _Maybe life isn't for me._

Agian, Gabe's words echoed in his ears, and Percy wished he could go deaf, somehow, to stop the words.

 _Useless. Loser. Liar. Pathetic. Ungrateful. Crazy. Idiotic. Trash. Dumb. Retard. Naive. Freak. Annoying. Worthless._

The words ringed in his ears, and Percy banged his head back, wanting to feel the pain, which came in waves.

For a dizzying moment, Percy saw black, before his eyes came back in focus, and enraged at Gabe, at everything, he sliced another cut, feeling the sting of the pain, like a dozen needles piercing his skin.

 _Learn to love pain like you love happiness. You know what happy is, bastard? It's learning to get used to pain. That's what life is. Pain._

Percy exhaled deeply, and shut his eyes so tight, momentarily, he saw white stars. His head felt like exploding, the pain overwhelming him. Percy tried to see the good in pain, after all, it was just a feeling.

When Percy opened his eyes, the fluorescent lights blinded him for a second, resulting in him blinking rapidly, trying to focus again.

He glanced at his wrist, which was of course, bloody, some blood already having dried up. He counted exactly 26 cuts. Somehow, Percy knew it wasn't a good thing, but he felt calm, and all the pain he had felt before cutting was gone, as if it had left his body just as the blood did.

Slowly, Percy got up, staggering. He leaned his hand on the door of his room for support, his legs suddenly feeling weak. Percy could hear the booming laughter of Gabe and his buddies, as they yelled drunkenly, incomprehensible words.

Percy winced as he moved his legs, and didn't understand why he suddenly felt so light-headed and weak. Pain exploded in his brain, again, and Percy almost fell onto the floor as he tried to move his legs in hopes of opening the door.

It suddenly hit him that the bathroom, where he would wash his cuts out, was all the way near the kitchen, and if Percy attempted to go, Gabe would no doubt see him.

Percy knew from experience not to show himself up to Gabe while his friends where over, or he would get beat, by not only Gabe, but with Gabe's so called "buddy", Kronos.

Kronos had been friends with Gabe for as long as Percy could remember, coming over every weekend to drink with Gabe, completely ignoring Percy. Percy didn't know much about Kronos, only that he was Gabe's best friend and had been since they were kids, if Gabe was ever even a kid.

He scratched that idea off the list.

Even though the blood had stopped by now, Percy needed someway to clean the cuts and dried blood out. He looked around his room, and his eyes landed on his water bottle.

Getting up, Percy sighed as he picked his water bottle up, his legs still cramping terribly, and he walked over to the small window in his room, barely able for him to fit his head through.

Opening the window with his not bloody hand, Percy stuck his hand out, the warm sun hitting his arm, making Percy want to faint.

Slowly, with his free hand, Percy lowered the water onto his bloody wrist, hissing as the ice cold water hit his wrist. He shut his eyes, the sting more prominent. \

A sound of ringing caused Percy to open his eyes, and he looked behind him, craning his neck to see who was calling on his phone, which was on the bed.

Squinting, Percy could making out the word, "Rachel" and when it hit him, Percy felt like passing out and just sleeping.

It was the Fourth of July. He promised Rachel he would be there to spend time with her and watch the fireworks with her, and looking at the clock, Percy saw it was already seven. He'd promised Rachel he would be there by six.

Cursing, Percy threw the water bottle down from the window, and pulled his arm, which was now numb, out from the window. He picked his phone up, and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?"

Rachel's voice came from the other side, both angry and worried, "You said you'd be here, an hour ago."

Percy sighed, "Rachel, I'm sorry-"

"You know," Rachel interrupted Percy, her voice steady, "If you didn't want to come, you should have said so."

Percy looked down, hatred of himself overcoming him. "I'm sorry, Rachel. Things just happened-"

Again, he was cut off. "What? What happened, Percy? Other than the fact that you promised me you'd be here with me, and I told all my cousins my boyfriend would come because he actually cares. You _knew_ how much this meant to me."

Exhaling, Percy replied, "Am I still allowed to come? I swear I'll explain everything there, I promise."

A moment of silence. Then, "Fine."

Percy let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you. I'll be there in ten."

When she spoke, Rachel's voice was quieter. "Okay."

Before Percy could hang up, Rachel spoke again.

"Oh, hey, Percy?" She asked, her voice back to her normal tone.

"Yeah?"

"We're watching the fireworks together."

Percy almost smiled. "Of course, Rachel."

* * *

Percy took a deep breath before knocking on Rachel's door. He had sneaked out, not having a choice. Rachel didn't, and wouldn't know about Gabe, and Percy never intended to tell her. He didn't another one of his friends telling him he was "overreacting" and "dramatic" or "not normal".

When the door opened, it was by Rachel, who was wearing a green dress, with her frizzy hair open. Percy thought she looked beautiful, and not having changed out from his polo and jeans, and having thrown on a hoodie to cover the cuts, he felt undressed.

She looked at him with a strange look, as if she was hurt, but smiled. "Come on in."

Percy gave her a small smile as he stepped inside.

Rachel's house wasn't big, but it wasn't necessarily small, either. With two stories, Percy thought it was larger than his, her dad being rich. Her mother, who was had passed away, had been alive, Percy remembered, when they had gotten the house.

Rachel grabbed his hand, sighing, and led him to a room, which was hers. She made a "one minute" gesture to her dad, who was staring at Percy and Rachel, intently, and shut the door.

Rachel's room was what you would call a blast of colors and shades. The walls were different colors, varying from red, to blue, to green. The smell of paint and crayons lingered in the air, and Rachel's artwork was hung up on the walls, and on her floor, as well.

"So," Rachel said, sitting on her bed, "Care to explain why you didn't come?"

"I'm sorry." Percy stated, not sure what to tell her, having completely forgotten.

Rachel raised an eyebrow, "There's something you aren't telling me."

Percy shrugged, and mentally took a deep breath. Her emerald green eyes looked Percy directly in the eye, making Percy nervous.

Rachel sighed. When she spoke, her voice was quieter. "Percy, I can tell something's bothering you, and I want to know what it is so I can help you."

Percy felt guilty from lying, but he knew he couldn't tell Rachel. "I just fell asleep, I really am sorry, Rachel."

Rachel looked at him, exasperated. "So I take it as you won't tell me?"

"I did tell you," Percy said, not wanting to deal with anything and regretting coming over, "I fell asleep."

Rachel muttered something under her breath, that sounded strangely like, "Sure."

Percy mentally slapped himself for lying.

 _Such a great boyfriend you are._

"Well, anyways," Rachel said, getting up from the bed and fixing her dress, "It's nearly seven thirty. You ready to see the fireworks?"

* * *

Annabeth's P.O.V:

Annabeth sighed as she ran a comb through her messy blonde hair.

Her so called father, Frederick, had forced her to get ready for a "family dinner" due to it being the Fourth of July.

She'd lazily thrown on a plain blue t-shirt with jeans, not bothering to look good. Knowing her family, "family dinners" always turned out to be Frederick insulting Annabeth, resulting in Athena and Fredrick arguing constantly in the restaurant.

Giving up on the mess of blonde curls, Annabeth threw her hair brush to the side and quickly made a ponytail with her hair, and looking at herself in the mirror one more time, Annabeth left her room.

When she got to the living room, Frederick was sitting carelessly on the sofa. Glancing at him, Annabeth had the sudden urge to throw up on his face, and possibly hit him with bricks repeatedly on the face. Athena was sitting not far, but still a distance away from Frederick, with her legs crossed.

When she saw Annabeth, Athena smiled and stood up. "Ready?"

Annabeth nodded. She felt terrible when she saw Athena smile at her, like Annabeth deserved Athena to care so much about her.

Frederick, himself, got up and walked over to the front door, shoving it open. Not bothering to wait for Annabeth nor Athena, he shut the door behind him as he left, and Annabeth heard Athena sigh before she went and opened it herself, cursing at her husband under her breath.

 **A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter. Sorry if it's short, honestly. But before anything, let's go onto the reviews! :)**

 **HispanicThug** **: Haha, of course Gabe's getting what he deserves!**

 **GoldenShadow401: It's a terrible feeling, isn't it? It sucks. But thank you, I'm glad you like it!**

 **pjojellybeans** **: You don't understand how much I grinned at your review. I literally stared at it for like 20 minutes like, "..** _ **Woah**_ **." Thank you so much!**

 **theartnerd333: Stop being so nice to me, dear gods of Olympus, Christine. This was so nice, and made my absolute day. Thank you!**

 **808fangirl** **: I know, right? He does. But sadly that's up to me, isn't it? ;) Thank you so much! I appreciate it. I hope you liked this chapter? :)**

 **logwet: Yeah..I noticed, too. Oops. Let's stick with the accident at ten, alright? Sorry about that :)**

 **greekgeekgirlbro : Okay, so this is just. So nice, I can't tell you. You know, it makes me seriously happy that this story actually affected your feelings instead of when Frederick was suffocating Annabeth you'd be like, "..And?" Cool. Thank you! And yeah, I wasn't feeling too good, I'm sorry, I accidently wrote Gabe..sorry :)**

 **jessica jasso: I hope you like this chapter, love :) Thank you!**

 **I'mAProfessionalFangirl** **: I guess because I made him like that. Thank you, I hope so, too! :)**

 **Shattered Owl: It's about time, that kinda guy. Haha, finally, huh? Thanks!**

 **That's it of the reviews. But hey, you guys, I'm sorry this was short. What do you guys prefer, long chapters and longer time to update or shorter chapters and less wait? Let me know.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you guys like this chapter! Keep smiling, xxx.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

Annabeth's P.O.V:

Annabeth sat down silently in her chair, feeling unwanted tension rise in the air when her whole family was seated in the restaurant.

Her father had taken them to a restaurant Annabeth had never heard of, and Annabeth kept noticing Athena giving her small smiles, as if to cover something up. She was sitting across from her father, her mother in the middle, as Frederick started talking.

"Annabeth?" He asked his daughter and Annabeth mentally prepared herself to what was to come.

"Yes?" She replied, picking up a silver fork from the table, and lowering it down to her lap as she slid the cold metal against her wrist absentmindedly, her hands needing something to do.

"When was the last time you got a hair-cut?" He asked, and Annabeth mentally sighed.

"Why does that matter?"

"Because," Frederick said, looking at Annabeth as if she were a disappointment, "you look disgusting."

"Frederick," Athena told him calmly, "she looks fine-"

Frederick interrupted her. "Have you seen her? The bitch doesn't even work. All she does is stay in her stupid room with her lazy ass, letting everybody else do the work. She's absolutely worthless, Athena. Everytime I see her, I fight the urge to gag..all she does is sit around. She isn't good in cleaning, in school, in anything. All she is is an embarrassment to the family."

Annabeth looked down onto her lap, and bit her lip hard to prevent herself from saying anything. _I know I'm a disappointment._

Athena sighed deeply, "Frederick, that's enough."

Frederick's cold blue eyes looked at Annabeth, critically, "Athena, look at her. Annabeth is obviously a waste of space, how do you expect her to get a husband like that? She's more likely to get raped."

A piece of Annabeth broke inside, yet she ignored it.

Athena gasped slightly, and glared at Frederick. "Do we need to leave?"

Frederick shrugged slightly, "I'm being honest."

Athena was silent for a moment before she spoke. When she did, her voice had become steady and hard, venom laced in it. "You, are not to speak of anything related to my daughter like that, and if you are, then Annabeth and I will gladly leave."

Frederick smirked. He looked as though he was going to say something, but was cut off once the waitress came up to them.

She smiled at them, with her auburn hair tied up. Her light blue eyes were kind, and she looked no older than in her 40s. "Have you decided your orders yet?"

Frederick nodded, and started speaking, and Annabeth, not wanting to listen, zoned out.

She stared at the peach-ish table cloth on the table, looking at it long enough that it blurred her vision.

What seemed like just a moment later, Athena spoke again. "Annabeth?"

Annabeth was brought into reality once she heard her name. "What?"

"What would you like to eat?" Athena questioned her, her grey eyes softer than Annabeth had seen before.

Annabeth's stomach grumbled at the thought of food, but she ignored it. "I'm not hungry."

Athena looked at Annabeth with a look of doubt. "Are you sure? You haven't eaten anything for the whole day."

"I have," Annabeth lied, and when her mother gave her another look of doubt, Annabeth decided to lie. "I promise."

"Okay," Athena said, and Frederick spoke up.

"She doesn't need food. She's fat enough." He stated, and Annabeth felt a pang at her heart, and mentally scolded herself for being so vulnerable to her father's words.

Athena glared at Frederick, but looked at the waitress with a smile. "That's it."

The waitress nodded, as she left, and Athena turned to glare at Frederick.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked him, her grey eyes cold, "Do you not have any respect?"

Frederick wore a smirk. "Well, I'm being honest. She won't do anything anyways."

Annabeth tried to keep how much her father's words really affected her inside, as she bit the inside of her cheek. It wasn't like she didn't know what her father was saying, but as she looked around the restaurant, with people who had laughing families, who were actually happy together, Annabeth couldn't help but hate how dysfunctional and messed up her family was.

 _But maybe I'm the reason why._

She hated how she couldn't have a normal family like all the other kids in school did, with their caring fathers, who wouldn't dream of hurting their daughters like Frederick did. She wished she was more than just a slave to her dad, that maybe, he would be proud of her for just one second instead of criticizing her every movement. She didn't want those hundred dollar phones her classmates talked about, she didn't want to live in an enormous mansion, either. All she wanted, craved even, was love from her father.

But then again, you couldn't always get what you wanted.

Still, all she would like to do was to impress her parents. To finally not be "average", and for the first time, be recognized. But Annabeth knew that would never happen. She knew if she was meant to be happy, she would have been.

Her self-esteem was shattering with every little word her dad told her, but she pushed it aside. She couldn't let drama and her feelings ruin her path to success, going to college. The only way she could leave her family and have a future.

"Annabeth?" Athena's voice came from what seemed like miles away, even though it was barely two feet, and Annabeth was jarred back into reality.

"Are you okay?" Athena asked, and looking down, Annabeth realized that her parents' plates had came, meaning she had been zoned out, once again, for a long time.

"Yeah," Annabeth replied, feeling a churning in her stomach, "I'm perfectly fine."

Athena narrowed her grey, calculating eyes at her daughter. "You don't look okay."

Annabeth tried for a smile, but it pained her heart when she did. Besides, trying doesn't mean you'd always succeed, and obviously, by the look of Athena's face, Annabeth didn't succeed.

Annabeth sighed and glanced at her father, who was on his phone, and seemed to be texting somebody. Inwardly rolling her eyes at her father's behavior, Annabeth turned back to her mother, disgust for her father rising inside of her by every passing second.

Athena's grey eyes looked tired, like she hadn't slept in weeks. Annabeth didn't blame her, though. She understood how it felt to live with her father, and felt sympathetic towards her mother.

"Honey," Athena spoke, her voice quieter, "I can tell something's bothering you."

Annabeth shrugged. "A lot of things have been bothering me, but it obviously doesn't matter."

Athena looked puzzled. "Why wouldn't it matter?"

Chuckling sarcastically, Annabeth replied, "When has it mattered?"

Athena opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Frederick, who had put his phone on the table. Annabeth could faintly hear text notifications ringing from it, but tried not to think about it or who it could be.

"Athena," He spoke with a smile Annabeth would have loved to wipe off his face, "Have you told Annabeth the news yet?"

Annabeth saw her mother give Frederick a look of exasperation and annoyance, and she shook her head.

Confused, Annabeth said, "What news?"

"Well-" Athena tried to say, but was cut off by Frederick.

"You told me you would tell her!" Frederick nearly yelled and Annabeth had to restrain herself from attempting to kick him under the table at his overreacting.

"Relax, Frederick," Athena told him, calmly, but there was a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Frederick shook his head, "You're a bitch."

Rage bubbled inside of Annabeth at Frederick's words. Who gave him the right to call Athena a bitch? She couldn't help herself when she said, "How is she a bitch?"

Frederick turned his attention to her, his blue eyes staring at her, making Annabeth want to both cower away and glare back. She did the latter, glaring him down with the same force he had with her.

"Are you talking back to me?" He asked, his voice icy.

"No," Annabeth responded, "I would just like to know how my mother is a bitch, according to you."

Frederick set his jaw into a hard line. "Listen, I own this family. I can say whatever I want and whatever I'd like, and you, have no part in it. Do you understand me?"

Annabeth was about to retort back, but Athena laid a hand on her shoulder, silently telling her to calm down. Annabeth understood the message, and even though she had a million things to say back to her father, she sat back and bit her tongue.

"Yes," Athena answered Frederick, "I'm sure she understands."

Glaring daggers at her father, silently hoping somehow they would pierce him, Annabeth cursed at him under her breath.

"Anyways," Frederick continued, as if nothing had happened, "Athena, I think you would like to tell her the news."

The news? "Let me guess," Annabeth said sarcastically, unable to help herself, "you're finally getting divorced?"

Silence. Annabeth looked up at her parents, in disbelief. Athena was staring at her with her mouth slightly open, and Frederick was smirking.

"No way," Annabeth said, another part of her breaking. "You're getting divorced..?"

Athena cleared her throat and nodded.

Annabeth stared at her parents, incredulous. "Are you serious?"

Again, Athena nodded. "Honey-"

Annabeth suddenly felt something bubbling inside of her. A mix of anger, sadness, disbelief, betrayal, and hurt. "And you're just telling me this?"

Athena pursed her lips. "Annabeth, listen to me-"

Annabeth laughed, hurt spreading throughout her like waves. As if her family wasn't bad enough. "Now what? You're telling me I move all the way to Florida?"

"Actually," Frederick spoke up, "you're moving to New York. With me."

* * *

Annabeth sat down onto the patch of grass, the grass tickling her legs as she spread them out and sighed.

She had left the restaurant, telling her parents she could come home herself, not wanting to look at her parents.

Here she was, sitting on a patch of grass as the sky turned darker, staring at the ground, numb. How could they divorce, and act as though Annabeth couldn't be hurt? It was her family, and she wasn't supposed to feel anything as they just completely broke apart? And why hadn't they ever told her? Why was she moving to New York with her father? Leaving her mother?

She felt hot tears welling up in her eyes, but impatiently blinked them away. She couldn't cry.

Although, not even thirty seconds later, Annabeth couldn't prevent the tears that fell down her face, like a mini waterfall. She let herself cry, letting the tears soak her cheeks and the ground beneath them, as she remembered everything that had happened.

A sound above her caught her attention. A burst of color in the sky suddenly came into view, and Annabeth recognized the boom easily.

Fireworks.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Annabeth pulled her legs towards her chin as another burst of light, this time green, colored the sky, followed by a boom echoing throughout the sky.

Annabeth didn't know why, but she felt a sudden burst, as if one of the fireworks were exploding inside of her, and she shook her head as a breeze ran through the air.

Another explosion.

Annabeth decided she'd watch the fireworks, seeing that she had easily found a good place where they were visible, and the fact she didn't want to see her family.

Shaking her head to try to clear off the thoughts, Annabeth watched the fireworks, one by one, as each burst painted the sky.

* * *

Percy's P.O.V:

Percy cursed as he came inside through the window of his room, his body being pressed down as he attempted to slip through the small hole once again. He felt a thin prick on his shirt, and an item dug into his skin, and Percy recognized it as the prick of a nail.

He pushed himself farther, grunting as he landed onto the floor, the pressure dizzying him for a moment. Blinking back into focus, Percy slowly got up, and holding onto the wall for support, and ignoring the prick of the nail he had gotten, he almost jumped when he heard yelling coming from the other side of the door.

"Kid! Don't you fucking make me come in there! What the fuck are you doing in there, bastard? Come out here!" Gabe's voice bellowed and once again, Percy muttered a string of curse words as he fixed his shirt and shut the window.

With his heart pounding, Percy opened the door of his room and exhaled as he walked into the living room, where Gabe, and another person, Kronos were sitting, beers in hand.

When Gabe saw him, he set his eyes on him. "What the hell were you doing?"

Percy shrugged, and tried not to have his voice shake as he spoke. "I didn't hear you?"

It came more like a question, and Gabe raised his eyebrows as he stood up.

Coming closer to Percy, Gabe growled at Percy and gripped his left arm, which was still full of cuts.

Percy cried out at the pain, not being able to prevent himself. The pain was unnerving, and Percy could feel the thump of his heart as Gabe looked him down.

"You're seriously that weak?" Gabe taunted and Percy bit his lip.

When Gabe didn't get an answer, his grip on Percy's wrist tightened, and Percy bit his lip harder than before, until he could taste his own blood. Waves of pain ran through his back, and Percy could feel blood once again thumping through his veins.

Kronos spoke up from behind them, and Percy felt disgust bubble inside of him, as he thought about the fact that Kronos and Gabe had children of their own, but had left them.

"Gabe, you need to hit him harder. He should have listened to you." Kronos said, and Percy could feel his smirk through his voice.

With a grin of a maniac only Gabe could have, Gabe nodded. He raised his arm at Percy and swung, hitting his cheek with extreme force. Percy heard a crack, as he did so, and Kronos laughing from behind them.

It took all of Percy's willpower not to blackout.

 **A/N: Well. There's that. I hope this chapter was just a little longer than the others because I've been feeling really bad about not having long chapters but at the same time I want to finish TWSH and get it over with, but I also want to balance the updates. Which will get slower, sadly, as school once again takes over. Also, I sometimes have chapters already written but can't get to updating them because my brother's in the room or something like that, and I apologize. But before anything, the reviews! :D**

 **808fangirl** **: Don't worry, it'll be cut off. Soon. And gosh you just gave me an idea (I have way too many) for this story..thanks. I'm glad you felt something for it, honestly. Glad to know you show emotion to this story. Guess they aren't staying for their little one, are they? Thanks for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter! :)**

 **Shattered Owl: Thanks :) I hope you liked this chapter, also (Plus stop ignoring me on Kik, bruh)!**

 **TigerL1ly81** **: Oh, trust me, love, there's a lot of drama yet to come. I grinned so hard at your review and it just made my day. Thank you so much! The cutting thing hit close to home for me too, but sometimes it's easier to write it, it makes it more relaxing to put it into words, you know? Anyways, I'm glad you liked this chapter, and thank you for reviewing!**

 **CrazyPeopleLikeMe** **: Haha, I love your user! Thank you so much, love. I really hope you like this chapter, thank you for reviewing!**

 **greekgeekgirlbro** **: Oh gods the niceness I can't even. I was staring at this for like an hour, like, "Wait..what did I do to deserve this?" and honestly this is so nice. Writing this and listening to FOB is my favorite thing to do! This story is something I can totally and always relate to so, and I'm glad you can see yourself in the story with the descriptions and stuff (not like connecting to Percy or Annabeth with what they're going through). A spell on you? Gods of Olympus let me hug you. I've read a lot, too, and they are all so beautifully written and the fact that this stands out for you from all of those amazing ones, just makes my whole day better. You don't know how much I love your reviews, love. Thank you! I say the same for you, keep smiling :)**

 **theartnerd333** **: Oh gosh, thank you so much! Honestly this just made my absolute day. You're so nice to me; I have no idea why. I'm really happy you like this story and I hope you like this chapter as well! :)**

 **PercyjacksonRxs** **; Thank you! Well, from my experience and information, you can't die out until you hit a major vein, and lose a lot of blood. Percy was slashing out at the skin, not the vein, does that make sense? He didn't bleed too much, though, since there would have been another layer of tissue underneath the one he cut. I think. Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter! :)**

 **Jessica Jasso: Yeah..sorry about that. I think this is just a bit longer. I made Annabeth a main point in this since I very little included her in the last chapter, and I hope you like this chapter. Thank you! :)**

 **Guest: This made me grin so hard. Thank you so much! I really hope you like this chapter, love! :)**

 **Okay, so that's that with the reviews. I'm sorry if this is short, by the way. I haven't gotten to the real plot, and the Romans will be included, don't worry. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! Stay safe. Keep smiling, xxx.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

"I don't understand," Annabeth told her mother as they sat on the couch together, the day after the Fourth of July.

Frederick had gone off to supposedly "work", which Annabeth suspected she knew what he really meant, but she decided not to think about it.

She'd came back after the fireworks ended, walking over to her house by herself. Thankfully, no creeps had come here way, yet Athena was still sitting outside, waiting for Annabeth, even at ten o'clock, when she should have been working on her architectural designs. Annabeth felt a touch at her heart when she saw her mother sitting on the stairs of the house, waiting and looked around worriedly.

It wasn't like Athena used to be so nice to her, and Annabeth detected it was due to the divorce. Yet Frederick hadn't changed, at all, only gotten worse.

Athena sighed and looked at Annabeth. "Honey, trust me, if I could change it, I would. You're father wants you to take you with him, he told me he'd be a good father, and he wants to spend time with you. He said he'd get a job, and had found one in New York. I want to do what's best for you-"

Annabeth interrupted her. "But that isn't the best! Don't I get a say in this? Can't I choose who I want to stay with? Mom, what makes you think he isn't lying..? That once I get there, he'll throw me out and hit me?"

Athena pursed her lips. "I suppose he can, but the court can decide that."

Annabeth looked at her mother, incredulous. "Mom, if we are going to court, then you can gain custody with me, right?"

Athena looked at the floor. "I suppose."

"When do we go to court?" Annabeth asked her, trying to ignore the fact that the six words broke her heart. _Normal families wouldn't be going to court._

Athena exhaled. "Four days."

"Do you have a lawyer?"

Athena nodded, "Yes."

"Does Dad have a lawyer?" Annabeth questioned, a sinking feeling inside of her.

Again, Athena nodded. "Yes."

"And you never told me?"

"I couldn't," Athena told Annabeth. "It would have affected you."

Annabeth snorted. "Like this doesn't affect me."

Athena turned to her daughter with a look of sympathy. "This is affecting me too, Annabeth. I'm sorry, but you know this has to be done."

Annabeth bit her lip and nodded. _No, it doesn't._ "I know."

Athena smiled at her, but it was obviously forced. "That's my girl. Promise me, Annabeth, whatever happens, you'll remember to me strong."

Annabeth glanced at her, "You will take custody of me, right?"

Athena didn't answer.

"You don't want to have me live with you?" Annabeth asked her, trying to ignore the hurt in her voice.

Athena looked away, as if she were hiding something. "Annabeth, I can't deal with this right now."

Annabeth set her face into a thin line. Of course. It never really mattered anyway, what she felt and thought. "Okay." She said, quietly, and when Athena turned to face her again, Annabeth saw her eyes were glassy.

"Mom?" Annabeth asked, and Athena gave her a small smile, before shaking her head and getting up.

"I'm fine," She told her daughter before Annabeth could say anything, and momentarily shutting her eyes, Athena walked away from the room, leaving Annabeth alone.

Annabeth sighed as she stared ahead of her, trying not to think. She heard the distant sound of thunder, and knew there was a storm coming. Shaking her head, Annabeth herself got up, but feeling dizzy, sat back down.

 _Would she be a witness? What if Frederick got custody over her? Who was Athena's lawyer? Who was Frederick's?_

Shaking off the thoughts that had creeped up to her mind, Annabeth sighed as she yawned, suddenly tired. She decided to go to sleep, not having slept for days, and laid her head down onto the sofa.

She closed her eyes, and instantly, she was out.

* * *

Athena's P.O.V:

Athena shook her head as she talked on the phone with her lawyer. "Artemis, I'm telling you, it's hopeless."

A pause. Then, "What makes you think it is? Listen, Athena, you have a daughter. I can give you custody of her, believe me. All you have to do is admit he has been abusing not only you but your daughter, as well."

Athena sighed, exasperated. "Artemis, that is not possible-"

Artemis interrupted her. "Don't lie to me. You were my best friend since high school. I can recall the times you told me he had been abusive when you two were simply dating, and I know he does it now."

Athena paced the floor of her room, feeling a pounding in her head. "Yes, he does. But I need to lie, Artemis. There is no proof that he has abused us-"

"Yes, there is," Artemis said. "Annabeth. Your daughter."

Athena shook her head, again. Even if Artemis couldn't see her. "I know. But where is the physical evidence?"

Artemis was silent for a moment. When she spoke, she sounded tired. " _Annabeth."_

"No," Athena replied. "She isn't."

"Look, you want your daughter, right? Athena, then you'll have to work with me. Provide evidence or this court case is already a disaster."

Athena pause for a moment. "What can I do if there's absolutely no evidence stating so?"

"You're acting like you don't want your daughter."

Athena stopped pacing. "That's because," Athena said, "I don't."

* * *

Percy's P.O.V:

"Aye, kid!" Gabe's voice came through the house, and sighing, Percy got up from sitting in the hallway, his phone in his hand, and went to see what was wrong with his step-father.

"What?" He asked, coming into the living room, where again, Gabe was sitting, sprawled out onto the couch, a beer in his hand.

Gabe looked up at him. "Where's my beer?"

"What do you mean?" Percy questioned him, not sure what he was talking about.

Gabe stared at him with a look of both disappointment and irritation, "I gave you money to go buy me beer. Are you that stupid?"

"I'm underage." Percy stated, simply.

Gabe rolled his eyes, and raised his beer and chugged it. When he was done, he let go with a sigh, and threw the beer onto the floor, as it clinked with others, making Percy mentally wince. "There's a store that I fucking told you about, that has my buddies giving me beer. Go there, and buy it from them, and be back."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "That's like an hours' walk."

Gabe smirked. "Exactly."

Percy stared at Gabe. "Why can't you do it?"

Gabe narrowed his eyes at Percy, and Percy had the urge to laugh at how disgusting his step-father looked when he was trying to threaten Percy.

"Are you questioning me?" Gabe's voice was steady, and dramatically, Percy rolled his eyes.

"Isn't that how a conversation works?" He said, tempted to add "stupid" at the end, but restraining himself.

Gabe looked at him, and an evil grin broke out onto his face. "You know what doesn't work? Anybody liking you."

Percy bit his lip, not answering. He stared at the ground, visions of his mom once again overcoming him.

He glanced up at Gabe, who was giving him a smug smile, as if he had won something.

"Fine," Percy told him, attempting to ignore the pain in his chest. "But one day, I promise you, when you're on the ground laying down due to the beers having your organs fail, I'll be here, laughing."

Percy cursed as he pulled his hood over his head, hoping nobody saw him. It was late at night; about midnight, and Gabe had forced Percy to go buy him beer, even though it was illegal, from a store that was four miles away.

And he would have to walk by foot.

Of course, he'd really had no other choice, living with Gabe. You either did what he asked, and got verbal abuse, or you either don't do it, and get extreme physical abuse, mixed with verbal, then have to go do whatever he asked.

Percy decided not to do the latter.

He knew where to go, having went there with Gabe when he was little all the time as his step-father drank with his friends while Percy was just a toddler.

From what he could remember, Gabe's buddies, Atlas and someone who called himself "H", were the dealers there.

Percy's feet ached. He had been walking for at least an hour, and felt sleepy, for some reason. He'd taken an abandoned road, walking in the dark, the lights of the city guiding him. His heart hammered in his chest, and his muscles screamed for him to stop, but he didn't.

He knew Gabe wouldn't care if he was kidnapped or taken away, so he didn't exactly worry about that, either. It wasn't like he cared about himself, the scars on his wrists backing the point up. Percy was back to his old habits, habits he knew his mother wouldn't have been proud of (like she was ever proud of him to begin with), but he couldn't find himself to care.

Everything he did nowadays was due to his compulsive behavior, and it wasn't his fault he couldn't control it.

Percy looked around him. He was walking along side of the highway, trying to get into the city of San Francisco, and he could hear the sounds of cars passing him, and he kept his face down in hopes of nobody finding him, and he could see nothing but the lights of the highway. shining onto the road in front of him. He knew it was possible for somebody to pull over; to find him and ask him what he was doing this late at night, but nobody did. San Francisco wasn't large; but it wasn't small, either. Percy knew he had a chance of being found, and as much as it was _supposed_ to be terrifying, it wasn't.

He took a deep breath to calm his thoughts, the silence of the night making him paranoid. Looking ahead, Percy saw that he was near the city, the silhouette and the lights clear to him in the middle of the night.

Keeping his face down, Percy continued walking.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Percy was walking through San Francisco, as the smell of pollution and gas lingered in the air. Car horns were honking, and he could see people giving him weird looks as he went, but all ignored him, not daring to come up to him.

He stopped at a stop-sign, waiting for it to signal that he could cross the road, as he looked ahead of him. The building was at the very end of the next block, and he, again, tried to calm his nerves as he came closer.

When the signal had cleared, Percy took a breath and crossed the street, knowing fully well that the people waiting for the signal to turn green on the left and right of him could be staring at him, considering he was the only one crossing at this time, and he tried to brush it off, feeling heat rush to his cheeks.

Percy shut his eyes as he walked through the block, trying to forget why he was in the city of San Francisco in the first place.

 _Because you have an abusive step-father and he needs you to buy beer and even though you're 15, you're doing it anyway, because you're afraid of him._

 _You're afraid of him._

He bit his lip, the four words echoing in his head, making him dizzy. As if he needed to be reminded of how much of a coward he was.

When he reached the end of the block, Percy turned left, and saw that in between the first two buildings, there was an abandoned alley way, where two figures stood, talking. Percy couldn't make out what they were saying, but he could hear deep voices.

There was no doubt in his mind that those were Gabe's friends. A small, flickering light was attached to the side of both buildings, illuminating the alleyway.

Percy mentally prepared himself, and walked into the alley, the eerie sound of night back again. His foot thudded against the alley, and the two figures turned, making Percy's fear rise.

 _I am not afraid,_ He told himself repeatedly.

When he reached the two figures, who he couldn't see clearly due to the masks on their face, he heard one of them speak.

"I assume you're here for the drugs?" One asked, in a dangerous voice.

"Yes, for my step-father," Percy forced his voice to remain steady, yet he could sense a shaky edge to it as he spoke.

The other one laughed, a creepy laugh that had Percy shivering. "Ah, Gabe. Remember when we used to get into physical fights with him? Quite the womanizer he was, taking advantage of them like that.."

Percy forced himself not to gag. He looked up at them, not interested in their disgusting stories, "Can you give me the drugs?"

Silence. Then, the first man extended his arm out, and made a gesture with his fingers, indicating Percy give him the money. "Money first, you bastard."

Nodding, Percy took the money from his hand and put in into the man's gloved hand, and when the man spoke, Percy could hear the smirk in his voice. "Excellent."

He was handed the drugs, and feeling guilt wash over him, Percy took them.

"Now, go, before we have to kill you, bastard. And tell Gabe a 'fuck you' from both 'H' and I."

Nodding again, Percy pursed his lips and stuck the drugs, which were given in a bag, into his pocket. He turned away from them, and started walking away, his footsteps, again, echoing throughout the alleyway.

As he turned the corner, he could hear their voices again, but ignored them, as he walked through the city. The people, once again gave him looks as if he was some sort of criminal.

The funny thing was, Percy didn't deny it.

 **A/N: Okay, the plot will get better, and (hopefully) the chapters longer. I hope you guys liked this chapter, let me know what you think of it in a review? I've stayed up nights writing this, and I sincerely hope you guys like this chapter. Anyways, onto the reviews.**

 **7** **: I'm sorry for my updating time, but honestly, I can't get any faster than this. Chapters don't just magically write themselves, and I'm already missing out on sleep. I apologize.**

 **Shattered Owl: Aw, that sucks. I feel bad for you, but I'm glad you aren't ignoring me. I hope you like this chapter! :)**

 **CrazyPeopleLikeMe: This made my day, thank you! I'm glad you like it. I have something in store for Percy and Annabeth, so you shall see when they meet. I hope you liked this chapter, too, love! :)**

 **Guest: Oh. My. Gods. What? A great author? That's way too nice. Thank you so much, and I'm glad you feel something for this story! I hope you like this chapter as well, love. Thank you! :)**

 **TigerL1ly81: I did some research on it, too, like you told me, and I think I have a way of making Annabeth stay with Frederick. Trust me. Anyways, thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter as well! :)**

 **Someone the World Forgot: Guess you'll have to see what happens with Athena and Annabeth, huh? Same can go for Percy and Gabe ;) I hope you liked this chapter, K (I shall call you that if you don't mind)!**

 **Jessica Jasso: I hope you liked this one, too, love! Thank you! :)**

 **theartnerd333** **: I am so happy for you and your reviews, Christine, you have no idea. Honestly. Thank you so much, and I just. I sit here and wonder why you're reading my story, and when you review, it's just the best thing I've literally ever experienced as a writer. Thank you, so much! I'm so grateful for you. I hope you like this chapter! :)**

 **Magik458: Thank you! No, there won't be mythology or anything involved. It's an AU. :)**

 **greekgeekgirlbro** **: I stopped breathing when I read this. Yeah, Frederick is a total ass. I agree. You'll have to see ;) and I can't thank you enough for reading this story, and saying all these nice stuff about it that makes me so badly wish I could hug you. Thank you so much. :)**

 **BooksaremyBestbuddies: I know Annabeth isn't a pushover :) but sometimes you just gotta let it slide** _ **just**_ **a little. Which makes me hope you don't mind too much. I hope you liked this chapter, too. Thank you! :)**

 **Thank you guys for your kind reviews, seriously. They mean the absolute world to me. So does you, the person that's reading this. I love you. Stay safe, beauties. Keep smiling, xxx.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

 **A/N: Please excuse the lateness of your author for this story because she sucks at updating and isn't feeling well (again). Oh, and plus, I'm drowning in feels again, and have no idea how a court for divorce goes, and I really really am sorry if it's wrong, beauties. I tried my best to research whatever I could and am now seriously stressing over it if I messed up.**

Four days later..

Athena's P.O.V:

"Athena Olympus **(A/N: Sue me for the horrible name, I couldn't think of anything else** )," Artemis, her lawyer, spoke, her voice booming through the whole courtroom. "You are here for deciding who will be the dominant parent for your daughter, Annabeth Chase, once you and your husband, Frederick, get divorced, correct?"

Athena pursed her lips and nodded. "Yes."

On the other side of the room, stood Frederick, wearing a small smirk on his face. Athena forced herself not to stare the ground, feeling overwhelmed at the fact that so many eyes were on her.

The spectators were watching, curious as to what the outcome would be, and Athena tried to ignore her lawyer and Frederick's lawyer, John, watching her.

"Now," Artemis spoke, sending shivers down Athena's spine. "Firstly, what is the cause for your marriage with Frederick Chase to be divorced?"

"I believe I am not in love with him anymore, it doesn't work out."

"Is that all?" Artemis asked.

Athena nodded. "Yes."

"Has your husband ever been abusive towards you?"

Shaking her head, Athena replied. "No."

"I see. Has he ever been abusive towards your daughter?"

"Never." Athena responded.

"Do you believe that if Frederick gains custody over Annabeth, she will be treated properly?"

Athena sucked in a breath, and prayed nobody had heard it. She instantly regained herself. "Yes."

"Do you agree upon having custody over your daughter?" The Judge questioned.

"No, Your Honor."

"Why is that?" Her lawyer asked.

"I never have time to spend with Annabeth. While she comes back from school, I am at work, and when I come home, I have many other papers to design, resulting in me never being there. There is always a seldom chance I am able to help her if she is sick, for I cannot take days off as easily." Athena replied.

"What is your current occupation?" Artemis asked Athena.

"I am an architect."

"What is your financial status?" The Judge asked her.

"I can support myself easily, as well as a family." Athena spoke, knowing she chose the wrong words.

"You may take your seat," The Judge spoke, and Athena nodded.

"Yes, Your Honor."

"May we please have Frederick come up to the witness box?"

* * *

Annabeth's P.O.V:

Annabeth held her breath as she watched what happened, not daring to breathe. She was in the back the courtroom, where not many people could see her, yet she could see everything that was happening clearly.

Frederick walked up into the witness box, and for a second, Annabeth couldn't recognize him. In the past four days, he'd changed completely. There was nothing about him that Annabeth saw as threatening, and he even had made breakfast and dinner for her, and had taken her out of ice-cream.

Still, Annabeth knew it could be part of the act, to gain custody over her. But that didn't make sense; if he hated her, why would he want custody over her?

She could see her mother and her tenseness, yet she couldn't understand why Athena was lying. Annabeth knew her mother didn't want her, and she was surprised anybody did. Of course, it _hurt,_ but she wasn't allowed to say it. She had to take in her feelings, bottle them up just for the sake of her parents, and her being "old enough".

She watched as her father walked into the witness box, a small smile lingering at his lips.

"Frederick Chase, you are here to decide whom shall gain custody over your daughter, Annabeth Chase, correct?" His lawyer asks.

Frederick nods. "Yes."

"What was the cause of the marriage between you and Athena Olympus to come to an end?"

"We weren't working, I didn't feel anything for her anymore, and I'm positive she feels the same way." Frederick answered.

Annabeth saw her mother look at the ground, not looking up at the judge. She felt her heart breaking as she saw it happen.

No normal family would ever have to go child custody court. But her family had lost it's label of "normal" long ago.

She knew it was stupid, lying to the judges, but she wouldn't force her mother to keep her if she didn't want to.

She was snapped out of her thoughts once Frederick's lawyer started speaking again.

"Has your wife ever been abusive towards you?"

Frederick shook his head. "No."

"Has Athena been abusive towards your daughter?"

With that, Frederick gave a nod. "Yes."

"What types of abuse have occurred?" The Judge asked.

"Verbal abuse, Your Honor." Frederick answered, his voice confident.

"How long has the abuse been going on?" Frederick's lawyer asked.

"Ever since Annabeth started middle school. Athena has never accepted anything less than an A+. When she didn't, Athena would call her different things such as 'stupid' and 'not good enough', and threaten to kick her out." Frederick responded.

"Why was this never reported?"

Frederick took a deep breath. "Annabeth always told me it wasn't as bad as it seemed, and I was never really there to experience the abuse, but when I did, I immediately signed for a divorce."

"I see. Do you suspect that it is not safe for Athena to gain custody over your daughter?" The Judge asked.

Frederick nodded. "I know it isn't safe for Annabeth, and would do anything to make sure she's safe."

"Do you believe that gaining custody over your daughter is the best thing to do?" His lawyer asked.

"Yes."

"Why is that?" The Judge asked.

"It wouldn't be safe with Athena, Your Honor."

"And you are saying it would be safe with you as Annabeth's guardian?" The Judge asked.

"Yes, Your Honor." Frederick said.

"Do you believe you are capable of being Annabeth's guardian?" His lawyer asked him.

Frederick nodded. "Yes."

"What is your financial status?" The Judge asked.

When Frederick spoke, his eyebrows were slightly raised. "I have saved up money, I can support Annabeth with a house, everything she needs, Your Honor."

"Very well." The Judge said. "Now, you may sit down, Frederick Chase."

Annabeth's heart stopped beating once she heard the next words of the Judge. "Annabeth Chase, please come up to the witness box."

Annabeth took a deep breath, as one of the lawyers, Artemis, grabbed her hand, and led her down to the witness box, where everybody was watching. Annabeth felt her face flush, and heat rushed to her face.

There were so many professional people present, she couldn't help herself when she didn't look at anybody, trying to ignore everybody.

She had to look up when the Judge cleared his throat. "Annabeth Chase, correct?"

Annabeth nodded, remembering what her parents had acted like towards the Judge. "Yes, Your Honor."

"Due to circumstances, I am obligated to ask your questions, which you must answer truthfully. Is this alright with you?" The Judge asked her.

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Very well." The Judge said, and Annabeth tried to ignore the gazes that were on her.

"Firstly," The Judge asked. "Who do you feel the most comfortable with between your two parents?"

"My father, Your Honor." Annabeth replied, trying to prevent her voice from shaking.

"Why is that?"

"My father has always wanted to spend time with me, he has always been caring towards me, and has sat beside me when I was sick. My mother, on the other hand, never has." Annabeth responded.

"Has your mother ever been abusive towards you?" The Judge asked.

Annabeth stared at the ground, then back up. She forced herself to lie, remembering all the other times she had. "Yes, Your Honor."

"Has she ever done it in public?" The Judge questioned.

Annabeth shook her head. "No, Your Honor."

"For how long has she been abusing you?"

"About a few years ago. Since sixth grade."

The Judge then nodded. "Who do you feel the most safe with as a parent?"

"My father, Your Honor." Annabeth answered.

"Has your father ever been abusive towards you?" The Judge asked.

"No, Your Honor."

"Are you willing to move to New York with your father?"

Annabeth nodded, "Yes, Your Honor."

"How do you feel about visiting your mother on the holidays?" The Judge questioned her, and the spectators suddenly broke out in talking.

Raising a hand to quiet them, Annabeth nodded. "I'm fine with that, Your Honor."

"Even after she has been abusive towards you?" The Judge said.

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Why is that?"

"Because even though she is sometimes rude, she's still my mother, Your Honor." Annabeth responded, feeling a tug at her heart and then guilt for lying.

The spectators watched her, curiously.

"Very well." The Judge spoke, and Annabeth gripped the edge of the witness box, trying to stay calm.

He said something quietly, something Annabeth couldn't hear. He looked at Annabeth, then back at Athena, who was looking at Annabeth with an unreadable expression. He then turned to the lawyers, getting up. "Your verdict will be decided soon, a couple minutes. I will be back shortly." And with that, he left, and Annabeth was lead to sit in one of the rooms of the court by an unknown person as she waited, her heart beating rapidly.

The room smelled of mint and a water fountain was attached to the wall beside it, and chairs were placed along side the walls, paintings decorated the plan and wooden brown walls.

Her family was with her, and she tried to imagine it as though it was a friendly family get together, and not deciding who she would be staying with permanently as her family broke up.

 _Maybe it's my fault._

Her thoughts kept lingering to that sentence, that goddamned four lettered sentence that brought tears to her eyes. They pricked at the back of her eyes, and Annabeth sighed as she pressed her eyelids together, feeling the weight of a school bus on her chest.

Her parents didn't seem to notice her. But then again, it wasn't as though they ever did.

 _If Frederick gained custody.._ She thought about Percy, about how it would feel for leaving him. They weren't what she'd call best friends, as they used to, and she had barely talked to him and the Fourth of July, but she still thought about him, and how he was with Gabe. But maybe she'd make friends, and her life would be different. Still, she felt a hole in her heart as she thought about leaving her mom, leaving the house she'd grown up in.

But was it really a home if she'd spent nights awake in the room crying because of her parents? Or sneaking out to get away from their yelling?

Not really.

But if she stayed with her mother, things would stay the same, with another school year of no friends, and sitting alone at lunch.

Still, she didn't let her hopes get high on making friends in New York, being the new girl in sophomore year wasn't something she was looking forward to.

She was interrupted from her thoughts when a woman who was dressed formally entered the room, looking at them.

"You may now enter the courtroom. The judge has made his decision."

Annabeth took a deep breath, as her "family", rose up from their seats, walking a distance apart from each other as the woman led them back to the courtroom, Annabeth behind them.

When they arrived, Annabeth was seated in the middle of the courtroom, as the spectators talked.

Annabeth tried to keep her face down, to block everything as her heart raced.

A moment later, the judge walked in, and sat down in his seat. He held a hand up to quiet down the spectators, and not even thirty seconds later, everything was silent.

Then, he spoke.

"Annabeth Chase, the verdict has been decided. By going through the evidence, we have found that Frederick Chase would be the best guardian for you."

He paused for a moment, and Annabeth dared to look at Athena's face. Her lips were thinned, and she wasn't looking at the judge, instead deciding to face the wall.

Annabeth felt a wave of guilt wash over her, but she ignored it as she turned back to the judge, who spoke again.

"Frederick Chase, you have gained full custody of your daughter, Annabeth Chase. "

* * *

Percy's P.O.V:

"Percy!" Rachel said over the line, laughing as Percy grinned along with her.

"What? Come on, Rach, you _know_ it's true." he said, unable to help the smile that stretched across his face.

"I actually liked him. He wasn't that bad of an English teacher, you know." Rachel disagreed, yet Percy could detect the amusement in her tone.

He snorted. "Yeah. The teacher that made us stare at textbooks all day, refused to let us leave for bathroom breaks, and always used that annoying chalkboard?"

"Everybody knows the only reason you even asked to go to the bathroom was so you could ditch."

Percy shrugged, even though Rachel couldn't see him. "Pretty valid excuse if you ask me."

"Of course."

There was silence between the two, and as Percy handled the phone on his shoulder as he fixed off his room, something he would _never_ do if it weren't for Gabe forcing him. He saw the cuts on his arms, and had to force himself not to be triggered once again, needing the pain of the blade to calm his nerves down after a few days ago.

He'd called Rachel in hopes of her making him forget, and he did, for about a minute. He couldn't help but feel as though he had been seen, somewhere and would have to pay the price.

He could hear the sounds of the remote clicking on the other line from where Rachel was flipping through the channels, probably sitting on the couch.

"So how's life?" Rachel asked.

 _You know. Drug dealing at 15, being blackmailed, hit and abused, but pretending like I'm okay._ "Nothing much." Percy answered. "You?"

Rachel made a sighing noise. "Oh, you know, the usual. My dad being an ass."

Percy was quiet for a moment, feeling a hint of guilt coming through him, "I'm sorry."

His girlfriend sighed again. "You don't have to worry, it's not even that big of a deal. But I just feel kind of overwhelmed with his expectations and everything, you know?"

"Yeah," Percy said. "I know."

For a moment, Rachel was silent before she spoke in a quiet voice. "Percy?"

"Yeah?" Percy asked, a sinking feeling overwhelming him for no apparent reason.

"Did you hear about the drug dealer on the news in the city four days ago? They said he looked about 15?"

Percy almost dropped the phone. "What?"

"Yep," Rachel answered. "Isn't it sad? To see people our age doing drugs?"

A sickening feeling washed over Percy. "I guess so."

" _I guess they have nothing better to do, and are stupid enough to turn to the drugs, huh? Drug dealers make me sick._ "

Percy nodded, getting up and walking over to the window of his room, the urge to cut even more prominent.

 _I guess they have nothing better to do, and are stupid enough to turn to the drugs, huh? Drug dealers make me sick._

"They make me sick too, Rach."

* * *

Percy sighed as he threw in the last of his materials, a coat and a hoodie into his backpack. It was late at night, and anxiety bubbled in his stomach as he came to terms about what he was going to do.

He checked the items off the list again, $400, a little over a dozen water bottles, a little bit of food, an umbrella (just in case), extra clothes, his phone and charger, and cold medicine.

Taking a deep breath, Percy shouldered his backpack and left the room, looking once again at the room he would leave behind.

Percy would have done it earlier; run away. If he had the guts, but now that it was clear he didn't have much of a choice, he left the room, walking slowly towards the door.

It was four in the morning, and Percy knew he had to leave before Gabe found him missing.

He didn't know what to expect, nor what would happen.

But as he opened the door of his "home", he knew one thing.

He wasn't coming back.

 **A/N: Okay first of all I don't know how a court runs, I did my best to research. Let me know if there's anything wrong and I'll rewrite is ASAP. Terrible ending.** **I know, and OOC-ness. I am** _ **really**_ **sorry. I haven't had any time to write, or update. I haven't started TWSH, either, and I've been feeling bad and lonely again. Plus life's been busier than ever, and it's just overwhelming.**

 **But onto the reviews! :)**

 **dbanjeezeez** **: I love this review, so much. Thank you so much! Guess you'll have to see if Percy's okay, huh? ;)**

 **TigerL1ly81** **L: Haha, I agree! Athena's not the best as of right now, huh? Thank you so much, love! :) Can you let me know if the court thing is right in this? Thanks! :D I love you!**

 **theartnerd333** **: Haha, I do know what you mean! Oh my gods, thank you! It really means a lot, love. I hope you liked this chapter! :)**

 **ShatteredOwl** **: Same here. Thank you! :)**

 **I3Riptide: Right? New York is amazing, honestly. Thank you so much, oh my gods, this means so much to me, you have no idea.**

 **KeepSmiling: Who cares about the people who call you a nerd for wearing a CHB shirt? Ignore them. I'm sure we all have haters, but honestly, just don't let them get to you. Thank you so much, love. I hope you have an awesome day, and smile. Because you deserve it :)**

 **geetanjalizara** **: Shit. Thank you so much! :D**

 **marinaofthesea12** **: Oh this totally just made my day. I'm so glad to hear that!**

 **greekgeekgirlbro** **: The only reason this story is even here in the first place is because of people as amazing and inspiring as you. Guess you'll have to see what's up with Athena ;) Ahhh, no! Don't buy my books. I totally just am speechless right now, oh my gods. Thank you so much! Honestly.**

 **Someone the World Forgot** **: Alright, cool :) And WHY DOESN'T SHE? Wait and find out, honey ;) and he is screwed already, though, isn't he? Thank you!**

 **Guest: Aw :) Hope you liked this chapter!**

 **Jessica Jasso: You will, don't worry. Thank you so much, I hope you like this chapter too! :)**

 **TheViolinWriter** **: Here it is! :) Thank you so much! :) I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **Valdez-The-Repair-Girl** **: I missed your reviews, seriously. I did. I totally understand; you don't have to review every chapter, don't feel obligated to, love. :) Go get some rest, honestly, I want you to be rested and fine. Thank you so much! I look forward to your reviews.**

 **uneednotnomyname** **: Oh my gods, this is so nice. Thank you so much! You'll have to see what happens with Percy ;) It totally is worth it to lose sleep over you guys, believe me. Haha, thanks! :)**

 **IamCrystalClear** **: Thank you! :)**

 **That's all of the reviews. For those of you that are reading TWSH, it's not even started yet. I'm sorry, but I feel like I need a break. Not some sort of "stop writing" break, but to stop stressing over updates, you know? Anyway, stay safe. Keep smiling, xxx.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

 **A/N: I have risen from the dead! Not really, but it's an update! Sorry for the long wait, I know I'm terrible and this updating thing nowadays, and my updates just aren't as frequent. I have Broken planned out pretty well, I know kind of what'll happen, so you guys will have to wait and see. And, before I go on rambling about something, let's start the chapter! :)**

Percy's P.O.V:

The wind of the San Francisco air, even at five in the morning, rushed through Percy's face as he walked, too tired to run.

He didn't know where he was, but it was deserted; the road he walked on. Like a scene in a horror movie, yet the movie was too real to actually _be_ one.

The sky was a brilliant shade of dark and light, as if the darkness was trying to dominant the light, but Percy didn't notice that. He was tired, an hour of endless walking and anxiety, having no idea where he was to go, or when he'd get to his destination was making him feel somewhat sick.

He thought about his school, and how it would be starting soon, or about Gabe, and what he'd do once he realized Percy had left.

Just the thought made him shudder. Gabe. The man who ruined his life, terrified him, hit and beat him, taken advantage of him, and things Percy couldn't even think about without wanting to gag.

And what would the people do if they saw a random 15-year old boy just walking the streets alone? Wouldn't they call the police?

Percy had never wanted to get the police involved. It wasn't an issue he wanted to share with other people, how bad his situation was, even if they'd help him. He was perfectly capable of dealing with things himself. Besides, he already knew how stupid and messed up he was, he didn't want to share it with anybody else.

Then Rachel popped up onto his mind. She was delicate, not in a way of being capable of _being_ hurt, but in a way of getting hurt easily. He didn't know what she'd think of him when she figured out he'd left. For one thing, he knew she'd hate him. Who wouldn't hate their boyfriend if they ran away from their problems? He knew he was being a coward, and wasn't afraid to straight up admit it. He thought about Rachel's frizzy hair, and how her soft voice used to cry as he held her when she complained about her dad. The thought of him leaving her made hatred swell up inside him, and he felt the urge to slam his head against the nearest pole he could find.

Trying to ignore it, Percy kept on walking, even though his legs were aching. The weight of the backpack, even though it wasn't too heavy, was like a burden, reminding him of everything he'd left.

Looking ahead of him, Percy saw the road stretched on, and he sighed to himself as he slung the backpack over his shoulder again.

Maybe it wasn't a good idea to run away. Maybe it would've been better if he just endured Gabe, after all, he'd been doing it for as long as he could remember. What was three years more?

 _But you're too stupid for college._ A voice inside of him rang, and Percy bit his lip as he tried to ignore it.

 _Isn't that why your mother died? Probably did it on purpose. Nobody would want to raise a bastard son like you, who can't even do well in school._

Percy tasted blood in his mouth. He hit the ground with more pressure as the wind sent chills up his spine, and closed his eyes as he walked.

Attempting to block out the voice in his head didn't work, and Percy really wished he had his razor with him. He wished that his mother had never died, his father had never left, Gabe had never existed, and that he wasn't such a mess up.

 _But then again,_ he thought. _Life wasn't paradise._

 _And it never would be._

* * *

Percy looked around the small town he had came across, and hoped nobody noticed him.

He caught some confused and suspicious glares, but other than that, nobody seemed to care.

It was around eight, Percy guessed, judging by the color of the sky. He'd sat down on the sidewalk to take a break, having been walking for over a dozen hours.

Slight panic was starting to go through him, knowing he had no place to stay, but he did his best to try to hide it and brush it off.

His legs ached, and he shut his eyes as he stretched them. The weight of his backpack was his rock, as he leaned back and bit his lip.

Sleepiness was taking control of him and for a second, Percy thought about just falling asleep on the sidewalk.

His stomach growled, and Percy felt the burning sensation of hunger. Once again, he ignored it, not wanting to waste any food unless necessary.

Taking a deep breath, he stood up again, and slung his backpack over his shoulder. A stirring feeling of fear running through him.

 _Real men don't get scared._

Gabe had told him that when Percy was six, having came back crying after he saw a car accident happen right in front of his eyes.

The pavement hurt against his feet, but he willed himself to keep walking.

After a couple minutes, Percy's eyelids were drooping, his body begging for sleep.

He didn't notice what was happening in front of him, but before he knew it, he was sent flying to the ground, his backpack on the floor.

He looked up to see a girl on the floor, and quickly stood up, cursing under his breath (which he seemed to be doing a lot lately).

"I'm sorry," He said, holding his hand out.

The girl looked at him with her brown eyes, suspiciously, but took his hand. She pulled herself up, and brushed invisible dirt off of her jeans. "No problem."

"Are you hurt?" Percy asked her.

The girl smiled, "No. You dropped your backpack, though."

And before he could say anything, she picked it up.

"What's _in_ here?" The girl asked, as she struggled to hold it. It slipped from her grip and fell to the floor with a thud, and she shook her head and picked it up again, this time using both hands.

Percy shrugged. "Things."

A corner of her mouth quirked up. "Never would've guessed."

Percy smiled, slightly.

"What's your name?" The girl questioned, handing his backpack over.

"Um," Percy said, not sure whether he should tell her or not. "Peter."

"You don't look like a Peter," the girl stated.

Percy laughed nervously. "Never heard that before."

She looked at him with a weird glance before holding her hand out.

"Nice to meet you, Peter. I'm Bianca."

* * *

Annabeth's P.O.V:

The box came down with a loud crash as Annabeth reached up and tried to save it. Instead, it felt on her leg instead, and slight pain shot through her.

Muttering, Annabeth bent down to pick it up as she placed it next to her. She watched it, feeling a mixture of emotion at the unmoving object. Her head was pounding, and she felt her face getting flushed and warm for no reason.

"Annabeth, honey?"

Annabeth turned to find Athena standing in a doorway, her hair messily down in waves, her grey eyes tired.

Turning back around, resulting in making her back face her, Annabeth replied, "Yes?"

"Are you okay? I heard a crash."

 _Yes, mom, I'm perfectly okay at the fact that you're sending me off to live with my dad, whom I hate, just because you don't care about me._ "I'm fine."

Annabeth heard Athena sigh, then the sound of her footsteps as she walked towards her daughter. "You don't sound fine."

"Well," Annabeth responded, bitterly. "It isn't like you care, anyways."

Again, Annabeth heard a sigh, then hands on her shoulders. "Annabeth, look at me."

Shaking her head, Annabeth brushed the hands off as she reached for more boxes in front of her. She bit her lip as emotions she didn't want came through her, and kept her gaze focused on the boxes.

"Annabeth."

"Leave me alone," Annabeth said, and she could hear her voice become heavy, and scolded herself.

"Annabeth-" Athena's voice was softer, yet Annabeth didn't turn around.

"Leave me alone," Annabeth repeated. "I have packing to do."

" _Annabeth_."

Annabeth sighed, irritated as she turned to her mother, who was watching her with an unexplainable look. "What?"

"I want to talk to you."

Annabeth laughed, bitterly. "About what?"

"I'm-"

"I know what you are," Annabeth told her, knowing she was being rude, but unable to help it.

Shock spread throughout Athena's features. "You do?"

"Yes, I do," Annabeth told her, "You're the worst mother ever."

Hurt flashed in Athena's eyes, and Annabeth couldn't help but feel bad. "I-"

"Athena!" Frederick's voice boomed from the kitchen, and Athena looked at Annabeth one last time, but it was clear that she didn't intend to say anything.

"You can go and leave me," Annabeth said. "After all, you must be used to ignoring me, right?"

"Honey-"

Again, she was cut off, this time, by Annabeth. "Just go, he's calling you."

Athena was silent for a moment, then, wordlessly, left the room, leaving Annabeth, once again, in loneliness and silence.

She hated it. She hated her mother for not wanting her, hated her dad for being such an asshole. It was one thing to move to another house, but all the way across the country in a place with people she had never met? She'd go to high school there, and just the thought made her anxious and sick.

And here she was, trying to find the right boxes for when they'd move in a week. Annabeth felt a piece of her missing, she felt this lingering sadness that was there when she cried herself to sleep, and when she woke up the next morning. It was something she'd grown used to after they had gone to court, and welcomed it.

Taking a deep breath and steadying herself, Annabeth scowled when she felt tears on her cheeks, and cursed at herself, for about the tenth time that hour. _You're not supposed to cry. You're supposed to suck it up and deal with it. Life won't be fair._

She looked at the boxes piled up, and felt a surge of tiredness overwhelm her. For a moment she thought of it as nothing, but then it spread throughout her body, and she felt pain, and suddenly couldn't breathe. Trying to gasp for air, completely stunned, Annabeth clawed at her throat.

It felt like cinnamon had gotten stuck inside her throat and she felt panic go through her.

Blinking rapidly, Annabeth tried to grab a hold of the boxes, but failed, as they, too, fell to the floor, along with her, and Annabeth heard the _thump_ of them falling just as darkness enveloped her.

 **A/N: How much do you hate me? It's been over a month, and** _ **I'm sorry.**_ **Life is hard, it's been stressing and hectic, and I don't know, you guys. I'm really sorry. School. I have so many things I need to do, and study, which I've been procrastinating on cause I'm a piece of shit, but nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoyed this very late chapter.**

 **TigerL1ly81: Yay! I'm glad it was somewhat accurate. Yeah, I'll change the "your honor" things. Thank you!**

 **theartnerd333: Haha, you hate who you want to hate! Just wait and see ;) Thank you so much!**

 **ShatteredOwl: Thank you! I feel bad for them too. Of course I'll keep writing ;)**

 **uneednotnomyname: Hey, of course! You don't know how happy it makes me to respond to your reviews. Thank you! I'm speechless at this review, holy crap. :)**

 **Valdez-The-Repair-Girl: Not necessarily. Do you think everybody in court tells the truth? We all have a little bit of evil inside of us. Which sounds weird, but I hope I make sense? Lemons? I'm not sure. On Frederick, I won't make it, like,** _ **too**_ **extreme. But you know. Keep on suggesting, love! I love your reviews. :)**

 **IamCrystalClear: Thank you for reading! I guess you'll have to see what happens with Percy and Annabeth ;)**

 **Wisegirl369: I'm not entirely sure what you mean?**

 **TheViolinWriter: I'm blushing, thank you so much! I'm sorry I haven't updated. I suck, I know. Nonetheless, hope you liked the chapter? Let me know!**

 **Guest: Thank you! I dunno; is she alive? ;)**

 **greekgeekgirlbro: Sometimes adults can be just as bad as they make kids seem to be. Yeah, Percy ran away. Whether he's safe, I can't answer ;) Thank you! I wish I could send a virtual hug. You're awesome! ;)**

 **KeepSmiling: Of course I'd answer your reviews! :) You'll have to wait and see! Thank you! :)**

 **Guest: Holy shit, thank you!**

 **rhig122: I have updated! 0:**

 **That's all of the reviews. I need to study, and I have all this testing and things and I'm annoyed and stressed along with overwhelmed. I apologize. I'm gonna try to update, but I'm gonna focus on finishing TWSH first. Two stories at a time is stressing. Anyways, you guys stay safe. Keep smiling, xxx.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

 **A/N: Hi, guys! I've finally decided to update. I'm sorry, it's been well over two months since I've updated this story, but I'm trying to finish This Wasn't Supposed to Happen first. So, forgive me.**

Annabeth's P.O.V:

When Annabeth woke up, she was in an unfamiliar room. Her vision was blurred, and her head was pounding. She didn't know where she was, but the first thing that came to her mind was, _I want to go to sleep again._

But why had she been sleeping here? Her neck felt heavy, and she forced herself to open her eyes wider, wincing as she adjusted to the bright lights in the room.

Machines were beeping around her, and she faintly hoped for it to stop, even though it was obvious the sound wouldn't.

Finally, when her vision came to focus, Annabeth looked around.

The walls were pale white, the floor was tiled, and she was lying in a bed.

 _A hospital bed.._

Suddenly, Annabeth noticed a figure sitting off to the side, in what seemed like a chair. She quickly pulled herself up, her sore muscles aching as she did so.

The figure must have noticed her movement. They stood up, and walked closer to Annabeth.

A second later, she saw the striking grey eyes come into her view.

Athena.

"Annabeth?" Her mother said, relief flooding into her voice. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Mom?" Annabeth croaked, her throat dry. "What happened?"

For a second, Athena stared at her. Then, she sighed. "You passed out, honey. The doctors say you had a temperature of 104. Why didn't you tell me?"

Annabeth looked back at her, suspiciously. Had she really been that sick? It all rushed to her, packing, the boxes dropping, the massive headache she'd had.

She shrugged. "I guess I hadn't noticed."

"I'm so glad you're okay," Athena repeated, her voice softer.

 _I'm not._

"Where's dad?" Annabeth questioned, and Athena visibly tensed.

"He's..busy right now." Athena said, her voice forced.

Raising an eyebrow, Annabeth asked, "With what?"

"Nothing," Athena replied. "Don't worry about it, Annabeth."

"Okay, well. When are we leaving to New York?"

Athena looked as though she hoped Annabeth wouldn't ask that question. "Annabeth-"

Before she could answer, Annabeth was overcome with a series of loud coughs. She felt like something was stuck in her throat, and tried to cough it out, but it ended up being her saliva. She tasted something like metal inside her mouth, but pushed it back down.

Sighing softly, again, Athena told Annabeth, "I think you need some rest. Go to sleep, once you wake up and your reports are fine, we can leave and go home."

But where _was_ home?

* * *

The next time Annabeth woke up, nobody was in the room with her. She looked around, hoping that somebody would at least be there so she wouldn't be alone.

When nobody was, Annabeth ended up being slumped against the uncomfortable and rigid hospital bed, breathing softly.

She looked down at herself in the hospital gown, and shuddered, the thin piece of clothing not being enough to shield her from the cold room.

Even though it was July..what? 10th? 11th?

She'd stopped keeping track of the days.

Looking around once again, Annabeth spotted a whiteboard at the very end of the room, and saw that the days were checked off.

 _July 12th._ It's July 12th.

 _My birthday_.

She was sixteen today, and nobody probably remembered. Why would they?

Suddenly, the door creaked, and a head popped out. "Hello?"

When Annabeth didn't respond, the person entered the room, only to realize he was in the wrong room.

He had flowers in his hand, and a mop of messy, light hair. From what Annabeth could see, she guessed he was either a senior or in college.

When he saw Annabeth, his eyes widened. "This is the wrong room."

A smile twitched at Annabeth's lips. "I think so."

He looked around, uncomfortably. "Sorry, I was trying to find my girlfri-are you okay?" He broke off, finally realizing she was in the hospital bed.

Nodding, Annabeth replied. "Yeah. It's also my birthday today."

She had no idea why she said that, but regretted it.

He, however, had his eyebrows raised. "Really? Happy birthday to you, then."

She smiled at him, and straightened her back. "Thank you."

He glanced at the flowers in his hand, then gave walked over to her. "Well, here."

Annabeth watched him. "What?"

A smile. "For your birthday."

"But you don't even know _me._ "

He shrugged. "So? Happy Birthday, uh-"

"Annabeth. My name's Annabeth."

"Malcolm."

She looked at him. "You know, people don't usually give strangers flowers. You obviously bought them for someone else."

"It's your special day. You deserve flowers. And I can easily get some more."

Shaking her head, Annabeth said, "I can't believe you're doing this."

He started walking towards the door, "Well, you seem pretty cool. Take them! Oh, and Annabeth?" Malcolm said, his hand at the door.

"Yeah?"

"I sincerely hope you aren't allergic to those followers."

Annabeth laughed.

* * *

"Sweetie?"

The sound woke Annabeth up, and she sat up, wincing.

Athena was standing above her, a fake smile on her face. "Ready to go home?"

"No," Annabeth said, her neck bones cracking as she stretched.

"We already went through your files and reports, you're okay, so you can go home now. I brought you jeans and a T-shirt to change into, then we're ready to leave."

Glancing at the table where she'd placed the purple and blue-ish flowers, Annabeth confirmed that seeing Malcolm, was, indeed not some sort of weird dream.

Athena followed her gaze. "I was wondering who gave you those."

"The nurse." Annabeth quickly replied.

Athena smiled, again. Annabeth was getting annoyed at the smiles, and felt irritation as she got up.

"That was nice of them," Athena said.

"Mom," Annabeth said. "Do you know the date?"

"It's the 12th," Athena replied. "Well, it's past midnight, so I guess you can say the 13th."

Heaving a sigh, Annabeth picked the bag that held her clothes up, and pointedly looked at the door. "Can you leave?"

Nodding, Athena adjusted her blouse and walked towards the door. "Oh, and just give me your gown once your done. I'll be outside the doorway." she said, shutting the door behind her.

Annabeth nodded, silently.

She threw the bag onto the floor, and sat on the bed, gripping the onto it tightly, forcing herself not to cry over such a small thing.

 _So much for a birthday._

* * *

Percy's P.O.V

Percy was, undoubtedly, terrified.

Well, he guessed, as terrified as you could be while sitting next to a pretty girl and eating popcorn.

The girl, Bianca, had sneaked him in, having seen Percy alone on the streets. Percy didn't exactly understand why a stranger had volunteered to take him in and then insist on giving him popcorn.

According to Bianca, she lived with her mother, Maria. That's all she had said. Maria worked as an ER nurse, so she was gone throughout the entire day.

But Percy wasn't worried about that. It was nearly morning, and he knew he had to leave.

How?

He had no idea.

"So," Bianca said, reaching out for popcorn. "What exactly are you doing on the streets at night?"

Percy shrugged. "Not your business."

"I know," she said, taking a break to swallow her popcorn. "But I'm curious."

"Why?"

"Well, why not?"

"You don't even know me."

She arched an eyebrow. "I know you enough to know you're running away from something."

Sweat trickled at Percy's spine. "It's not your business, Bianca."

She tilted her head to his backpack, lying on the floor. "I know I'm right, _Peter._ "

"Look," Percy told her, removing the bowl of popcorn from his lap, then handing it to her. "I have to go."

She stared at him, intently. "Why?"

" _I don't even know you."_

"Well," she said, placing the bowl on the side table. "You decided to come in."

"And," Percy stood up. "Now I'm deciding to leave."

"You can't do that."

"Can't do what?"

Bianca sighed, exasperated. "Come in and then just leave. I need to know what you were doing out on the streets or else I'll call the cops."

Percy grit his teeth. "You're irritating."

She winked at him. "That's my job. Now, are you ready to tell me what's wrong?"

"No."

Bianca made a move to grab the phone on the table, and Percy immediately reacted. Striding over, he snatched the phone away from her hand, confirming that she couldn't steal it.

She leaned against the wall and stared at him, as if she expected him to say something.

"What?" Percy asked, not able to bear her glare.

"You have to tell me,"

Percy took one glance at the backpack lying on the floor, then at the clock on the wall. He sighed.

"Fine."

* * *

When he finished telling his _oh-so-fantastic_ story, Bianca was staring at him with wide-eyes.

He didn't tell her about his Mom. Or _why_ he'd left, or much about Gabe except the fact that Percy hated him.

"Wow," she commented. "That's..intense."

"Well," he said, "that's my life."

Throwing in a sarcastic smile, Percy tried to control the nerves in his stomach. She could still call the police. Tell them everything he'd just told her.

He had obviously regretted telling her.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking down. "I shouldn't have forced you to."

"I'll be leaving now." Percy said, feeling a surge of irritation go through him as he looked at Bianca.

"Okay," Bianca opened her mouth as if to say something, but shut it again, shaking her head.

Percy walked towards the door, kneeling down to pick his backpack up. He turned to Bianca, smiling slightly. "I'll see you, then."

"Hey, Peter?"

"Yes?"

"I hope you stay safe. Is there any way we can keep in touch?"

"I'll see." _No._

A small smile. "Okay."

He stared at her for a while longer, before breaking eye contact. "Bye."

"Stay safe, Percy."

* * *

Dawn was something Percy always enjoyed.

Something about it made him think back to his mother, the lightness of the sky reminding him of the happy glint in her eyes.

The night always reminded Percy of how Gabe's eyes turned dark when he was threatening Percy, and the cruel smile he always had.

He stopped near a small bench located right outside of a huge library, and sat down, his heart racing. Setting the backpack aside, Percy leaned back against the bench, pressing his back against the hardwood.

He shut his eyes, all his muscles sore, and tried to think about anything else other than the fact that he had no idea where to go.

A plastic bag slid alongside the deserted road, the wind causing it to move in several directions, never remaining in one place. It was yellow, a certain type of yellow Percy couldn't exactly remember, but it was incredibly familiar.

Almost..blonde? The first thing that appeared in his mind was Annabeth's voluminous and curly hair that she always had up.

It resulted in him thinking of her beautiful and almost silver-like eyes, then back at her hair, and her wide smile.

When he finally realized what he was doing, Percy tried to clear his head, mentally scolding himself.

He hasn't thought about Annabeth in _weeks._ Why do it now?

Suddenly, he felt a presence sit beside him, and opening his eyes, Percy found that a complete stranger had decided to sit next to him, watching him.

"Uh, do you need something?" Percy asked, preparing himself to run. He braced his fingers against the strap of his backpack, just as the man laughed.

Percy took a good look at the man, trying to understand why he looked so _familiar._ He had jet black hair along with green eyes, that crinkled when he smiled.

"Relax," he said. "Does it look like I'll hurt you?"

Percy didn't stop gripping his backpack.

When the man realized, he sighed, and held his hands up, as if to surrender. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"What do you want?"

"I want to ask if you're okay," the man replied. "It's not everyday teenagers sit on benches at dawn looking like they'll pass out."

"I'm just waiting for someone," Percy lied. "You don't need to worry about it, anyway."

"What's your name?"

"None of your business."

"Well," the man said, smiling slightly. "I'm Poseidon."

 **A/N: I have literally spent days trying to finish this and I'm so sorry for not updating! Life is busy. But anyway, onto the reviews! :)**

 **rh** **i** **g122** **: I'm so grateful to have readers like you. This review is so kind, thank you so much!**

 **theartnerd333** **: Thank you! :D I'm so glad you're enjoying it!**

 **FirstBookworm** **: Thanks! I will have Percabeth, I swear. This is a Percabeth story, so it will be happening, I promise! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Guest: This is so sweet! Yes, they'll definitely see each other again!**

 **IamCrystalClear: It'll happen in time, don't worry!**

 **Guest: Hmm..guess you'll have to see ;)**

 **alex ya bae: I know ;) Thank you so much for reading, al! Love you! :)**

 **uneednotnomyname** **: Absolutely. I love your stories, they have me captivated. It makes me** _ **so**_ **happy that I help you. I understand how it feels to be lonely, writing is my escape, too. You can always PM me if you want to, you know. That's always an option. And, thank you so much! I'm smiling so hard right now, you don't know how much this review means to me, honestly. I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **shattered owl: And I finally updated! :D Thank you so much! (Killer..)**

 **marinaofthesea12** **: :) I'm glad you noticed, love.**

 **Guest: I'm trying. :)**

 **TheViolinWriter: Your reviews always make me smile! I love them! I'm so glad you like my story! (And I totally understand with the too lazy to sign in thing..believe me.)**

 **greekgeekgirlbro** **: Thanks! I'm glad to be back too. I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **Valdez-The-Repair-Girl** **: I think Bianca is totally underrated. I will always love your reviews. Thank you! I really appreciate you taking time to leave a review, honestly. I hope you liked this chapter! :)**

 **Keep Smiling: I hope things are going well! Thank you! :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter, also!**

 **CassylovesPercabeth** **: *updates two months later* I hope you still like this story! :)**

 **AnimeAddict1059** **: Thank you so much! This review did inspire me, and I thank you for it. I'm glad you're enjoying my story, and I hope you continue to do so! You'll have to see what happens to Annabeth ;)**

 **Greekly Chic Chick** **: Thank you so much!**

 **And, that's it for the reviews! I hope you guys liked this chapter. I love you guys and thank you for sticking with this story! Keep smiling, xxx.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

Percy's P.O.V:

"I can report you."

Poseidon looked back at Percy, eyebrows raised. "Why would you report me?"

"Because you're taking me somewhere without my approval,"

"No," Poseidon said as he made a turn to another street. "I want to help you. Besides, you were the one that decided to come into the car with me."

"You don't even know my name."

Poseidon sighed, "Perseus."

Percy's jaw went slack, and he eyed Poseidon. An alarming feeling was rising in his stomach, but he held his ground. " _How did you know that?_ "

Poseidon simply watched him with tired eyes. "You don't remember me?"

Percy shook his head, eyebrows furrowing. "I don't want to, nor do I remember you."

The man sitting next to him fell silent. "I'm sorry, Perseus."

Percy set his feet against the dashboard, ideas of what Poseidon could do to him running through his mind. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Where are you taking me?"

"I'm taking you to my hotel."

"I don't _want_ to go to your hotel. Drop me on the street."

Poseidon yawned, an exasperated look etched onto his face. "I'm taking you somewhere where you'll be safe."

Percy snorted. "Define 'safe'."

"Safe meaning you aren't out in the streets where anybody can take you and hurt you."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that exactly what you're doing?"

"Perseus." Poseidon's voice was anything but soft.

"Oh," Percy watched him, "how do you know my name, anyway?"

Poseidon let out a sigh. "We're.. related."

"And how," Percy grit his teeth, "are we related?"

Poseidon never answered. He pulled up along a motel, and cut the engine. Eyeing Percy, he said, "Are you coming?"

"No."

Poseidon fished out his phone and placed it on Percy's lap. "If you think I'm trying to hurt you, call the police."

Percy glanced at his phone for a moment, one that no doubt costed hundreds, before narrowing his eyes. "Fine."

Something flashed in Poseidon's eyes. "Let's go, Perseus."

Percy groaned softly, anxiety coursing through his veins. He tried to hide his shaking arms while they walked.

When they entered, Percy was immediately met by the aroma of old carpets and drying paint. The motel wasn't tremendous, but it wasn't exactly small, either. The carpets were a pale sort of maroon, and they were heavy against Percy's feet. Hallways were built into the motel and Poseidon led them to the nearest door, picking out a key.

He unlocked the door with a soft click, and gestured Percy inside.

Only a single room with twin beds next to each other and a medium window was visible to Percy. Next to the window was a bathroom, or what seemed like one.

Percy eyed Poseidon. "Why do you need two beds?"

Poseidon gave him a sideways glance, running his hands through his hair. He took a seat onto the bed -which had simple white sheets and a blue blanket- and shut his eyes. "They aren't always for me."

A sick feeling rose in Percy's stomach, and it added to his nervousness. Poseidon patted the seat next to him, and just then Percy realized that he was wearing a jet black tuxedo. Everything about him seemed so _professional_ , yet at the same time disorganized.

"Sit down, Perseus."

Percy swallowed. "I'll just stand."

Inhaling softly, Poseidon nodded. "I assume why you want to know why you're here?"

Percy almost rolled his eyes at him.

When he didn't say anything else, Poseidon began to speak.

"How do I say this? Perseus, you wouldn't remember me, but does my name ring a bell?"

"No."

"Your mother and I fell in love."

When he finally registered the words, Percy began to choke midway through swallowing his spit. He took a deep breath, heart beating rapidly. Was there a man his mother had loved before his father left?

"Mom never told me about you."

A pained expression flashed across Poseidon's features. "She did. You just need to connect the pieces together."

Percy knew exactly what he meant. Lingering in the back of his mind was a voice that kept whispering quietly. _Father. Dad. He's your dad. Don't you see?_

After multiple seconds that passed by in silence, Percy met Poseidon's gaze. It was hard to tell what Poseidon was thinking, with his face set into an emotionless mask. He wouldn't look Percy in the eye for more than a second.

"You know," Percy licked his chapped lips, "I'm surprised you didn't leave me in the streets when you saw me."

Poseidon looked genuinely taken back. "What?"

This time, Percy met his gaze with intensity. He pressed his back into the wall. "You're good with leaving people, leaving them feeling unwanted. That's all you've been doing when you were in my life, anyway. _Leave._ " The word rolled of Percy's tongue as he sneered at his father.

"Perseus-"

Percy threw his head back, laughing. There was anything but humor in it. "Shut up, _dad_. I hate you."

Hurt flashed across Poseidon's eyes, making them seem even brighter. He sucked in a breath, but a moment later, acted as though it didn't matter. He watched Percy with stiff features. "Listen-"

A ringing sound interrupted him, and Percy felt the phone in his hand vibrating. He glanced at it, reading the ID, which said "Hades". Scoffing, Percy threw it at the man in front of him. At this point, he couldn't care less about what respect was.

"Take it," Percy said. "I'm leaving."

For a moment, Poseidon seemed torn between the two choices. He gave out a long sigh, and Percy was astounded at how old he looked. He finally noticed the dark circles and wrinkles etched onto his face. Percy almost felt bad.

"Perseus, please, just give me a second."

Percy snorted. He looked out the window of Poseidon's apartment for a second and made his decision. "I've waited fifteen years for you. Guess a second wouldn't hurt."

Poseidon answered the phone. "Hello?"

As he talked, bits of agreement and arguing with the man on the other side. Percy sighed as Poseidon walked to the bathroom, obviously for privacy. He pulled his sleeve down, gaze burning into the scars implemented onto his wrist. They made up a satisfying design, and he traced his finger along the cuts slowly. An urge went through him to hurt himself yet again, but he pushed it aside.

A minute later, Poseidon appeared behind Percy.

"What's that?"

Percy jumped, pulling his sleeve down instinctively. He turned to see Poseidon, and irritation rose inside of him. "Nothing. Are you done with your phone call?"

Poseidon neared him, holding his wrist with a feather like touch. "Perseus, were those scars?"

"None of your business," Percy snatched his wrist away. "What is with you and wanting to know everything you weren't involved in?"

His father watched him before throwing his hands up. "Fine. I don't care. I'm just trying to be helpful."

" _Helpful?_ " Percy's voice rose. "All you're doing is ruining my life!"

"I haven't even been in your life for an hour, Perseus."

The irritation spiked into anger. "And I would prefer if you wouldn't be in my life for another minute. I'm done with you. You're a bastard," Poseidon's jaw went slack. "and I hate you. I'm leaving."

Poseidon's hand went out to grip Percy's wrist, and this time he enclosed his fingers around it in a vice like grip. "I can't let you do that."

"I don't give a shit."

"Stop. I'm your father, and I have full responsibility over you. You have to listen to me."

"Oh," Percy's lips twisted up. "And where do you plan on taking me? Having some fifteen year old stay with you when _obviously_ you have other things to do?"

Poseidon stared at him thoughtfully before speaking. "I'm taking you to my place in New York."

* * *

As she stepped into her house, Annabeth was overcome with smells of fruits. She shut the door behind her, and set her bag down. "I'm back!"

No response.

She walked into the kitchen, finding her mom with her back turned. She was on the phone, her hair up in a bun. When Annabeth cleared her throat again, she turned. Muttering into the phone, Athena clicked it off and smiled at her daughter.

"Hi, honey," she said. "Are you ready?"

Annabeth tilted her head to the suitcases, which were filled to the brim. In total there were eight, with Frederick and Annabeth's things. "Did Dad finish packing?"

"Mhm," Athena hummed. She filled a cup of water and handed it to Annabeth. "Drink this.

"Why?"

"Water helps before a flight," Athena told her. "I'll give you a packet of gum before you leave, too."

The four worded question that was urging it's way out of Annabeth made her breathe deeply. Before she could back down, Annabeth asked, "Will you miss me?"

Athena looked surprised. "Of course, honey. But you are allowed to visit during your breaks. I'll see you eventually."

Annabeth nodded, knowing it was useless to have asked. She glanced at the clock. Seven thirty. Their flight would take off at ten, and they needed to be there by eight. "Should I call Dad?"

"Yes," Athena walked over to the door, opening it and taking her keys. "I'll be in the car. Tell Frederick to hurry up."

With a slight nod, Annabeth slowly strode to the living room. Her father was plastered against the frame, a beer in his hand. He looked up and grinned when he saw Annabeth. The look on his face caused shivers to crawl down Annabeth's spine, and she took a deep breath before speaking. "It's time to go."

He stood up with a sigh, and slammed the beer onto the coffee table. Coughing slightly, her father walked towards the suitcases, but not before giving her a slap on the face. "You don't talk to your father like that."

Annabeth almost kicked him. "Sorry, father."

He made an approving noise before picking up five of the suitcases. Athena had taken two, having left the door open. Frederick merely walked out, ignoring Annabeth.

Sighing deeply, Annabeth turned to face her house for the last time. She smelled the orange scented air, and lightly placed a hand on the wall. When Athena honked the horn, she grabbed the suitcase and with a final look, shut the door behind her.

* * *

The car ride was by far the last thing Annabeth had ever wanted to experience. The tension in the air was so thick Annabeth felt as though it was gnawing at her lungs. Not a word was exchanged with her family, but that was something she was used to.

Although, minuted later, her parents had begun yelling at each other from the top of their lungs. Threatening each other, and spitting out insults like it was nothing to them. Like they weren't able to see their own daughter trying to swallow back tears.

Annabeth remembered the girls at her school, how they talked about their perfect parents. How they had family vacations, spent holidays together, and didn't rip each other's throats out. What had she done to deserve this? Why couldn't she just have a normal family like everyone else? She didn't understand what she ever did wrong to get such a family. Then again, she knew that she was being spoiled.

As she walked towards the plane, bags in hand, Annabeth turned behind her and scanned the crowd in the airport. Her mother was nowhere to be seen in the midst of the crowd, but her eyes met another strangers.

Grey. Her mind immediately went to the night of the hospital. Malcolm. His eyes widened for a moment, before a woman slid her hands along his waist. Annabeth couldn't see the woman's eyes clearly due to her sunglasses, but she had fiery red hair that tumbled down in waves. He gave her a wave, and she smiled back.

Her dad pushed at her back, "Move up."

Annabeth's smile faltered, but she kept eye contact with Malcolm. He seemed to be waiting for someone, or was in line for flights. Annabeth couldn't tell.

He mouthed, _I'm glad you're okay._

Annabeth gave a slight nod, though he probably didn't see it. She gave a thankful smile before turning back around. It was almost her turn to board the plane.

Then, with a bit of her lip, Annabeth stepped to the front of the line. She didn't bother looking for her mother, because she had already left. When Annabeth neared the plane, she tried her best to hold in the tears. This was it. This was her new life. After stepping onto the plane, Annabeth realized that no matter how much she tried, her life would never be the same.

 **A/N: First off, I am** _ **so**_ **sorry for all this slow updating. I really am. I just need to find the right way to write Broken, and all my thoughts about this story are mixed up. I'm trying to sort it out, and this chapter wasn't really all that great since it's unedited, so forgive me. Happy 2016, beauties! I hope all your holidays went great.**

 **Guest: I'm trying.**

 **marinaofthesea12: Thank you so much! I hope you liked it!**

 **greekgeekgirlbro: Thank you! I'm really glad you liked it. You'll find about Athena sooner or later ;)**

 **hihihihihihihihih: Thank you so much! This is so kind. I hope you liked this chapter :).**

 **theartnerd333: I'm glad you're enjoying it! I hope you like this chapter :)**

 **CassylovesPercabeth: I'm glad! :D**

 **Greekly Chic Chick: So happy to hear :)**

 **rhig122: Don't worry. You'll find out about both Bianca and Athena. Thanks :) I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **Thank all of you for reading this chapter, and let me know what you think. Once again, I'll try my best to update ASAP and I am** _ **not**_ **discontinuing this. I have a bunch of stuff planned out (maybe even for another story..) Keep smiling, xxx.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

Annabeth's P.O.V:

The alarm clock caused Annabeth to turn over and groan. She reluctantly cracked her eyes open, only to shut them once again when the light of her window blinded them.

The blaring alarm clock was still piercing through her usual quiet room, and Annabeth reached out a hand to slam it shut. She pushed herself up on her bed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Glancing at the clock, Annabeth realized it was only 5:00 am. She still had a couple hours until school started.

Somehow, she was suddenly wide awake. _The first day of sophomore year. A new school. New friends. I know nobody._

A pang of anxiety shot through Annabeth, and she threw her feet aside the bed. The carpet floor strangely died her nerves down, and she rubbed her feet together while looking around her room. A simple twin sized bed with gray and black covers, matched with pillows entitled with quotes. The green walls to her room -which Annabeth had not agreed to- caused a feeling of wistfulness to rest at the bottom of her heart, but she didn't know why.

Her dresser held nothing but a hairbrush and hair ties, along with her backpack and school items. Everything was neatly placed, and the light radiating from the window made it seem almost perfect. The late dawn light made Annabeth recall the night she had seen Percy, something that seemed years ago. Yet, it had been only months ago. Annabeth had still remembered him, she had found herself constantly dreaming of him.

Yawning, Annabeth stood up and walked towards the bathroom, which connected with her room. Flipping the light open, she almost gasped as her reflection came into view. Dark bags had settled under her eyes, and her lips were paler than before. How much had she been sleeping?

Needless to say, yesterday, Annabeth had gotten only an hour of sleep, if not less. She sighed softly, touching her reflection in the mirror. Her blond hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail, bangs falling out and framing her face. She turned on the water,splashing her face with the cool liquid. Once she was done drying her face, she brushed her teeth slowly.

Her dad would kill her if he knew she had disrupted him while he was sleeping. He had a meeting today, August 18th. Annabeth knew how much the meetings meant to him.

Definitely more than she meant to him.

She found the fact that just a month ago, Frederick had been jobless odd. He'd been broke. Now, he seemed to carelessly throw money around.

Knowing better than to question it, she stayed silent. He'd most likely end up hitting her for asking. They hadn't exchanged any words for weeks, other than him spitting insults and Annabeth enduring them.

Turning the faucet off, Annabeth gave another look at her in the reflection, pointing out all her flaws. She could imagine Frederick's words engraved into her mind, reminding her everywhere she went that she wasn't good enough. She wasn't _smart_ enough. But she _was_ stupid. Worthless. Annoying.

And that would never change. She'd accepted it when tears were dripping down her cheeks at night.

She turned and opened the door, turning the light off.

Her clothes, which she had already picked out the day before, we hanging loosely on a chair next to her window, backpack neatly set against it. Annabeth let out a tired sigh, plopping on the edge of the bed.

She put her hands in her face, three words repeating themselves in her mind.

 _I'm not ready._

When Annabeth entered her first period class, which was ancient history, she almost threw herself onto a desk.

Other than the fact that she'd gotten lost in the large hallways at least ten times, bumped into people and watched them give her scowls, Annabeth let herself believe that the day was getting a _little_ better. She glanced inside of the classroom, which was filled with desks aligned perfectly amongst each other, posters and maps taking up the space of the walls. The room held an aroma of wood and old books, and it brought Annabeth memories from when she was younger.

Annabeth walked over to one of the front desks slowly, and sat on the one directly in front of the whiteboard. She placed her folders onto the hard surface, and then her palms, breathing in deeply. Annabeth heard snickers behind her, and turned her head to see who was laughing. There were only about fifteen other students in the classroom, and her eyes quickly scanned each of them.

A kid with dark hair and pale skin, another girl beside him with electric eyes and spiky hair. Her piercing glinted in the lights of the room, and she let out a snort. Trying to ignore the voice in her mind stating that they were laughing at _her_ , Annabeth eyed the other students.

A girl with brown hair and brown eyes, another next to her with beautiful almond eyes and a gorgeous face outline. Students with different types of hair and eyes, all knowing someone in the room. Annabeth didn't know anyone.

She averted her gaze to the papers on her desk, gripping the pen in her hand tightly. Somehow, she wished that all her worries would magically just disappear, like bubbles floating away and popping. Gone. Just like that. Yet, sadly, she learned it never worked that way. Her heart was pounding as the giggles of the girls behind her increased in volume, and Annabeth shut her eyes tightly.

They probably weren't even laughing at her, for all she knew. But why did it suddenly matter to her?

A man walked into the room, and he cleared his throat. Annabeth looked up to see a man with a wispy beard and brown, caring and determined eyes. His gaze quickly ran over the room, scanning the rows, before it landed on her. Annabeth broke eye contact, not being able to stand the look he was giving her, as if he knew everything about her.

She crossed her legs as he began talking. "Welcome to history! Now, I am aware it's probably not the best idea to have a bunch of sophomores in history at first period, but you'll adapt. You have an entire year to do so." He winked at the class, shuffling through papers on his desk, still standing up. "My name's Mr. C. I'll be your history teacher for this year, and probably next year. And the year after that," he cracked a smile, and Annabeth decided he didn't seem _too_ bad. That was before he announced that he was going to do attendance.

"When I call your name, raise your hand and say 'here'. Understand?" He seemed to be watching the punk girl in the class with an amused glance, and a smile broke out when she huffed. "Thank you. Calypso Atlas?" The almond eyed girl raised her hand. "Annabeth Chase?"

Slowly, Annabeth's hand rose. She heard giggles erupt from the back of the class, and felt her face burning. After he nodded and checked the clipboard, Mr. C continued. She had dozed off before hearing another name being called, a name she had forgotten about.

" _Perseus Jackson?"_

Annabeth's head snapped up and she turned her head to see who was sitting behind her. Her eyes met sea green ones, and she gasped. All heads were turned to him, and he was looking back at her. When she offered a small smile, his features hardened and he turned his gaze to the teacher. How had Annabeth not seen him coming in? Most importantly, how was he _here_?

He cleared his throat. "Here."

Mr. C nodded, and when Percy looked back down at his baggy hoodie and skinny jeans, Annabeth faced Mr. C again. She could feel her skin heating up. He hadn't changed at all, but he looked older. The signature smirk Annabeth had missed was there, but the happiness in his eyes wasn't. His eyes were now dark and clouded, like he didn't care anything. As whispers broke about the "new guy", Annabeth felt a pang that he didn't remember her.

But then again, who _would_ want to know her?

* * *

For as long as she could remember, Annabeth sat alone at lunch.

She wasn't complaining, but when nobody sat next to her, the empty seats took a place in her heart. It was clear that nobody cared about the new girl, or even bothered to give her a second thought. The lunchroom was filled with the noises of the students gathering together, all with their own group of friends.

The table she set in held six seats, the other five vacant. The table was placed nearest to where the food was being served, yet Annabeth had no appetite. She swallowed her dignity as she pulled out a book, her favorite out of the millions of books she'd read. _Pride and Prejudice._

Tracing the leather of the book cover, a special edition for her birthday, years ago. When her parents actually cared about her birthday. And remembered it.

She was midway through opening the book when a throat above her cleared. Annabeth glanced up to see the same girl who she already shared three classes with, the one with almond eyes. Callie? Annabeth vaguely remembered her with a "C". She was watching Annabeth with an irritated look, obviously waiting for her to speak. Her tray was held close to her chest, but Annabeth felt a sense that the girl was controlling the urge to dump it on her.

"Yes?" Annabeth asked.

"This is my seat," Callie, the name Annabeth had temporarily given her said. "It always has been."

Heat rushed to her face, and Annabeth nodded. She began to stand up, when another figure came behind her.

"Calypso, it's okay. Let her sit here. There's five of us." An unfamiliar, feminine voice spoke.

Annabeth shifted her gaze to the girl standing next to Calypso. Her face was angled beautifully, and her features were sharp and alerted. She had dark brown eyes, and long, brown hair that was styled into a braid. A small spark of envy went through Annabeth. She was _beautiful_.

"It's okay," Annabeth said. She grabbed her backpack. "I can leave."

The mysterious girl offered a small smile. "No, don't worry about it. Sit down."

Calypso scoffed. "She doesn't need to be here, Reyna."

So that was her name? It sounded elegant and gorgeous, a perfect name to fit her.

"Calypso," Reyna laid a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. Just sit at the end, I'll sit next to her-"

A booming voice interrupted her, as Thalia Grace placed her tray right next to Annabeth, not noticing what was happening. "Hey, losers! It's been a while."

When nobody answered, Thalia looked up from already stuffing her face into the fries. "Mats mwong?" Her voice was muffled, but she quickly swallowed.

"Nothing," Reyna said, placing her tray down on the table. She shot a glare at Calypso, before sitting down.

Calypso huffed before sitting across from Reyna. She gave a look at Annabeth, her eyes piercing into hers. "Yeah, nothing."

"So," Reyna gave a friendly smile. "Care to tell us about yourself?"

"Well," Annabeth said, embarrassment laced into her tone. What was she supposed to say? "I'm Annabeth, and I've never been to this school before."

Thalia nodded, patting Annabeth on the back. Annabeth smiled, Thalia didn't seem to care whether or not they'd never seen each other before. After all, they shared all classes up until lunch. "I'm Thalia, that's Reyna, and that's Calypso. Piper and Hazel should be here soon."

At the mention of their names, two girls sat beside Calypso. They set their trays down, plopping onto the seats.

"Hey!" A girl with choppy brown hair and green eyes exclaimed. Her voice was soft and beautiful, and she pushed a strand of hair out of her eye. "Sorry, Hazel forgot her stuff."

Hazel, sitting next to the girl, blushed. Her eyes were the color of pure gold, which shined. Her dark skin contrasted with her puffy hair, and Annabeth thought she held a unique beauty. "Piper was the one that had to use the bathroom!"

"Mhm," Thalia said. She looked back at Annabeth, her electric eyes twinkling. "So, Annabeth, that's Piper," she pointed to the girl with choppy hair, whose eyes were now a shade of blue, "and that's Hazel."

Annabeth nodded. She grinned at the two girls, "Nice to meet you. I'm Annabeth. I'm new here."

They both smiled back.

"Back at you," Piper said. "Are you enjoying Goode so far?"

Before Annabeth could respond, Thalia snorted. "You know I have homework in _three_ classes? And we have two classes left!"

"I finished that in class," Annabeth stated. She cracked a smile at Thalia's reaction.

"How do you even do that? Homework is stupid anyway." She muttered, shaking her head.

Piper laughed, and Annabeth felt herself warm up to them. They continued talking, making jokes about the subjects and teachers. None of them excluded Annabeth, and she felt herself laugh at least a dozen times.

"Annabeth, why aren't you eating lunch?" Piper asked after a while.

"I'm not hungry," Annabeth lied. Next to having no appetite, Annabeth knew her father would kill her for wasting money. Even if it were just for lunch.

"Here, take some of my chips and water," Piper offered. "Did you eat breakfast?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "I'm okay, really. Don't worry."

Unwilling to give up, Piper slid the packet and bottle to her. "Just take it. I don't need it, anyway. Just eat."

"Pip-"

"Annabeth." Her voice was stern, and she shook her head. "Take it. You have to eat _something_."

"No, she doesn't." Calypso's voice came, and she rolled her eyes.

Piper ignored her, letting out a sigh. She made eye contact with Annabeth. "Please, eat."

"Annie," Thalia squeezed her shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

Annabeth forced a smile, shaking her head. "Nothing. I'll eat, I promise."

"Thank you," Piper said.

A sudden shame overcame Annabeth. She stood up, glancing at the clock at the end of the wall. She had four minutes until the bell rang.

"I have to use the bathroom," Annabeth told them. "See you guys around?"

When all of them -except Calypso- bid their goodbyes, Annabeth left the cafeteria, to find the nearest bathroom. She rushed and before she knew it, her books were knocked out of her hands.

She muttered a curse before looking up at Percy Jackson himself, who was watching her with wide eyes. But he wasn't alone. Next to him was a blonde haired boy with blue eyes, a scar running through his mouth.

"Sorry," Annabeth mumbled, her heart racing. She half hoped Percy would help her pick the books up, but he did no such thing. Instead, he stood staring at her with a look Annabeth couldn't give a name to. When she finished picking her books up, Annabeth made a move to step away, but the man blocked her.

He gave an amusing glance to Percy, "Aren't you going to do anything, Perce?"

Percy shook his head. He let out a chuckle, and Annabeth knew he was laughing at her. "She probably knows not to bump into me again." He gave her a long look. "Watch where you're going, Blondie."

* * *

The moment the door shut, Annabeth collapsed against the frame. She slid down, burying her face in her hands.

She could still hear the people laughing at her, giving her amused looks. As if she were the stupidest thing they'd ever seen.

Worst of all, it was the dark look in Percy's eyes when she'd seen him in the halls. She could see him judging her, feel his eyes on her.

It was the worst feeling she'd ever felt.

Annabeth was suddenly pulled up by the hair as Frederick grabbed her. She held the wall to steady herself, yelping when he slapped her.

"Did you do the dishes? Where's dinner?"

Annabeth let out a sigh. Their new house was an old townhouse, with two bedrooms and one bathroom. It smelled of cigarettes and laziness, clothes thrown everywhere and furniture placed wherever. She had meant to finish arranging the furniture, knowing fully well Frederick would never do it, but hadn't gotten the chance.

"I'll do that right now," she said tightly.

He growled. "Apologize, or you'll pay."

She looked into his eyes, the same eyes she once looked to for comfort. "I'm sorry."

He slammed her head down, so hard Annabeth heard a bone crack. She winced.

"Girls," he whispered, "don't look men in the eye. Do you hear me? Say it properly."

"I'm sorry," Annabeth said, quietly. Tears burned in her eyes, but she kept her eyes on the ground.

He made a noise of approval before slamming her against their stairs, to which she hit her leg on. "Good. I have to go to work, and when I come back, you _better_ be done with chores, you useless bitch."

 _Useless_. That was his word for the day.

Opening the door and slamming it behind him, Frederick left with no other words. Annabeth knew he would be back within three hours. She knew he wasn't going to work, and a lingering voice in her mind had a couple other ideas of where he was going instead.

She sighed, letting a tear slip from her eye. Brushing it away quickly, Annabeth walked into the kitchen, looking around. The counters, made of marble and wood, were messy with water stains and beer. She opened the fridge to find at least a dozen more beer bottles, and other than that, there was no other food in the house.

At least, food that Frederick hadn't hidden. From the moment they moved in, Frederick had hid most of the food from her in his bedroom or other places Annabeth didn't know of, stating that "girls should only eat less than a hundred calories a day".

Rinsing her hands from the metal sink, Annabeth glimpsed at the dishes. Once again, she felt the urge to throw herself out the window that was placed above the sink.

She still had homework from pre-calculus to complete, a worksheet that would take at least an hour. Biting her lip, Annabeth walked towards the stairs and pulled out the packet of salty chips Piper had given her. She opened the bag, breathing in the scent.

She leaned against the railing of the stairs, letting her eyes shut.

What had her life become?

 **A/N: Sorry if this is a little OOC. And, that it was so late. I hope you guys liked the chapter, though! I'd love to hear feedback.**

 **uneednotnomyname: Thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying this. Don't worry, it would take a lot for me to stop writing. ;) Well, of course, this is a Percabeth story, but you can't have a story without a little drama, right? *winks***

 **rhig122: Yep, this is a Percabeth story. No worries. Actually, you probably should. I hate their parents, too. Thank you so much! I hope you had a great season too :)**

 **greekgeekgirlbro: Yep. Smiley Athena is not a good sign. You are fully allowed to kick Frederick. There wasn't any Percy/Poseidon in this, but you'll see next chapter! Thanks! I hope you liked this too. :D**

 **BookLuver4ever7: I'm really, really, excited that you want to read mor of my writing. Seriously. This story is probably way different than TWSH, but the emotional part is sorta my style, you know? Hope you liked this chapter! Thank you!**

 **CassylovesPercabeth: Here it is :) Hope you like it!**

 **Shattered Owl: You disappoint me. (Jk.) Yep, the year's been pretty crazy. Especially with the new semester starting. YOU DID KILL HIM. STOP LYING.**

 **artcrazykatie: Thank you so much! :)**

 **And, that's it for the reviews. I hope we get more this chapter? Anyways, thank you guys for reading! I'll get back into my updates, I promise. I hope everyone has a great start to their semester, with it starting and all. Good luck! :) Keep smiling, xxx.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

The next morning, Percy woke up in a daze. He groaned as he put a hand on his forehead, and blinked his eyes open.

The room was dark, and when Percy glanced at where his window was, taking up the majority of the wall, he saw there was no sign of the sun. It must have been early, yet suddenly he felt wide awake.

When his gaze shifted to the doorway, Percy's face settled with a scowl. He looked at Poseidon with a look of annoyance, who seemed to be watching him wearily.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"You live in my house." Poseidon stated with a raised eyebrow, and Percy's scowl deepened.

He wouldn't admit it to Poseidon, but the house was impressive. With six large bedrooms, each the size of his old apartment, four bathrooms, a grand staircase, a family room, a kitchen, and a movie theatre along with a pool, Percy would love the house. It would be the kind of house he'd do his best for his mother to live in if the circumstances were different.

 _If the circumstances were different._

He knew Poseidon was rich, could throw away hundreds of thousands of dollars without a second thought, but had a hard time believing _how_ he'd gotten to live in a house that _didn't_ reek of beer and drugs. When he first breathed in the air, his heart had melted. But he wasn't letting Poseidon know that. He didn't deserve it, especially when Poseidon decided it would be best to barge into his life and act like nothing had happened. Like he _hadn't_ made his son's life hell for the past 14 years.

He had. And now, Percy was focused to return the favor, despite it being his father.

"What?" He asked his father, pulling his covers aside. "You want me to leave? Fine. I will-"

An exasperated sigh, one that Percy heard multiple times a day, left Poseidon's lips. He regarded Percy with a stern look, and then shook his head.

"We aren't going to do this every day. You're acting ridiculous, Perseus."

Percy snorted.

"It's three in the morning," Poseidon told him. "You should get some sleep."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"I'm your father, I have the right to."

A ragged laugh escaped Percy's lips, and he did his best to try to hide it. "Can you just leave me alone? I don't get why you're suddenly all wanting to tell me you're my father, because believe me, I don't _want_ to have _you_ as my father. I'd rather have no father at all. Oh, wait, I had no father until now, did I?"

"Percy."

"Don't call me that," Percy slid off the bed, irritated.

Poseidon pursued his lips. "Did you do your homework?"

"Like I care about that."

"It's Saturday."

"Yeah," Percy raised an eyebrow at his father, "and you're a bastard. Any more obvious questions?"

* * *

The fresh air to Percy nowadays seemed like a drug, and he breathed in deeply as he walked. The sound of his shoes hitting the sidewalk echoed in his ears, and the image of running away flashed in his mind.

Shaking his head, Percy pulled out his phone and dialed Luke's number. It was 10 A.M, and he had nothing better to do, and he sure as hell wouldn't do homework.

School didn't matter to him anymore, even though the first week had just ended. The teachers had piled homework, except for Mr. C, the history teacher. He was the only person Percy could stand.

That was, until Annabeth Chase sat next to him everyday because of the seating chart. He hated every single moment of it. Why had she came into his life when he was trying to start over? Why did her and her stormy gray eyes have to glance at him disapprovingly every morning?

Why couldn't he forget her and their past relationship?

Within just a week, everyone knew about the new girl. Annabeth Chase. All the guys talked about her, yet she had no idea. They made bets in the locker rooms about who'd get her first, and it made Percy sick to his stomach. Who would do that?

It didn't bother him. It couldn't, he wasn't supposed to care about her. Like he used to. That was the past, and this was the present, and as Gabe always told him, the past is a bunch of shit that needs to be forgotten.

The streets of New York were busy on Saturday morning, and the September sun was shining in Percy's hair. He hasn't even bothered to brush his hair or change from his jeans, just throwing on a shirt that hadn't been washed in days.

Luke picked up on the second ring. "Hey, man."

"Hey, what's up?"

A shuffle came from the other line as Percy sat down on a bench, as if Luke was shrugging. "Nothing much, you?"

"Bored." Percy answered. "You up for the parking lot?"

Luke was silent for a moment before he spoke. "Sure. I'll be there in two. See you there, Perce."

"Cya."

The parking lot was an abandoned place Luke had introduced him to, where nobody but troubled teens went. _Troubled._ The word that fit every aspect of Percy's life.

It was right around the corner, with fences as protection around it. Although, they had worn off with all the things that had happened inside, and there was a clear entrance right in the middle. Dirt and cigarettes were scattered all around the floor, the air screaming pollution.

When he squeezed through the jagged fence, Percy saw Luke sitting on one of the cement blocks, his legs stretched outward. When he glanced up at Percy, Luke stood up.

"Perce! How's it going?"

As they did the "manly" hug, Percy winced as the smell of cigarettes invaded his nose from Luke's mouth. He tried to hold his breath as he clapped Luke's back. "Good, man, and you?"

They sat on the cement blocks, Luke offering Percy a cigarette.

"Come on," Luke pushed it towards him. "Take it, relax."

Just seeing it made Percy think back to Gabe, and he was tempted to burn it. He gave Luke a forced smile, "Nah, man."

Luke raised an eyebrow. His washed out blue eyes narrowed, "Why?"

The intensity of his gaze caused Percy to sigh internally. A voice in the back of his head said it wasn't a good idea, but he couldn't make his friend suspicious. Taking the cigarette and lighter that Luke had pulled out, Percy tentatively put it in his mouth. The taste was repulsive, and he had to force himself to not spit it out and gag.

"Never mind," Percy sighed. "So, you didn't answer my question. How are you?"

Luke shrugged. "Mom's in the hospital again, Hermes won't shut up about college, even though he knows I can't go. It's two years away, anyway."

Percy made a sound of agreement. "Yeah."

"You know the new guy, Nico?" Luke questioned, his eyes darkening. "The one who hangs out with Thalia Grace?"

"I think so," Percy said. He remembered the boy who sat behind him in one of his classes, with his pale skin and dark, unreadable eyes. "Why?"

"I heard he's gay." Luke scowled. "Disgusting, right?"

Percy regarded Luke with a look of confusion. "How?" He blew out smoke from the cigarette, feeling suddenly calm.

"Gay," Luke spat out. "He needs to die."

Percy raised his eyebrows, removing the cigarette from his mouth. "No, he doesn't. Shut up."

This time, Luke's eyebrow arched. "What did you say?"

"The fact that he's gay doesn't mean anything," Percy said slowly. "What does it mean to you, anyway?"

"Are you really standing up for him?"

Percy's gaze lowered. He released a deep breath, before looking back at Luke. "No, I'm not."

Luke smiled. He pulled out his own cigarette. "Good."

* * *

Annabeth's P.O.V:

Annabeth stared at the math problem on her lap,annoyance creeping up on her. Normally, advanced math was nothing to her, but the numbers of her homework wouldn't stop mixing in her mind.

She let out a sigh, dropping onto her bed, and pushing her binder to the floor, where her papers scattered. She'd fix it later.

A scraping sound startled her, and Annabeth glanced at the window of her room. Standing up, she pulled it open, glancing down to see Piper come face to face.

Annabeth jumped as Piper laughed, and she climbed into Annabeth's room. Recently, Annabeth learned that her and Piper were neighbors, and saw each other everyday. They'd clicked instantly, a bond Annabeth had never felt before.

She looked at her friend, with her light green blouse and skinny jeans, accented with combat boots. Her eyes were twinkling, hair pulled up beautifully into a braid. Piper didn't even have to _try_ to look beautiful, and Annabeth felt a twinge of envy, but quickly pushed it aside.

"Ever heard of knocking, and _not_ climbing up my house?" Annabeth grumbled, but she gave Piper a quick hug.

"Nah," Piper shrugged. She tilted her head to the door to Annabeth's room, "Is he there?"

"Nope," Annabeth popped the "p". "He's at work."

"Cool," Piper grinned. "So you wanna hang out?"

Annabeth had accidentally let it slip that she hated her father three days ago, and Piper had told her about her family. A dad all the way in Florida for a movie shoot, mother gone, she lived with her nanny, Beryl. Piper's father was the all famous Tristan McLean, but that didn't change Annabeth's friendship with her in the least.

"I can't."

Piper frowned, her eyes losing their sparkle. She put a hand on her hip, "Why not?"

"My dad can come back anytime."

Piper snorted. "Who cares? C'mon. He won't care."

"Piper," Annabeth stretched out her name, but a smile graced at her lips. "Really?"

"Don't waste a Saturday night," Piper advised her. "It's beautiful out!"

"Homework." Annabeth reminded her, raising an eyebrow.

Piper winked at her. "That's what Sunday nights are for."

* * *

Annabeth leaned against the bench of the park they were in as Piper threw her head back and laughed.

"You're not serious." Piper tried to keep a straight face, but failed.

"I swear," Annabeth was mockingly solemn. "They tried to do that."

"Wow.." Piper shook her head. "My life isn't nearly as interesting as you, especially my preschool life!"

Annabeth gave a small smile, her eyes lingering on the grass under her. Moving the dirt with her feet, she was silent, her thoughts everywhere. The dark color of the grass strangely reminded her of a certain pair of green eyes, and she could imagine them twinkling. Like they used to.

What had happened to him?

He completely ignored her in history, where they sat next to her, like he'd forgotten everything. Annabeth was aware that he had dated Rachel, and for all she knew, still was, but he didn't even acknowledge their _friendship_. He acted as though she was some sort of disease, and wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible. That wasn't the Percy Jackson she used to know, what had changed? Why was he in New York?

Did he suddenly forget all of their small, rememberable moments?

Did he forget about _her_?

"Annabeth?" Piper asked. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said. She slowly looked up and bit her lip, an emptiness settling in the pit of her stomach. But why?

"Alright," Piper said. She sat crisscrossed onto the bench, and grinned at Annabeth. "So, let's get to know each other more?"

"You know more about me than practically anyone," Annabeth said softly. "Let's talk about you!"

Piper shrugged. "There really isn't anything interesting about me."

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"You know, people say that since we're sophomores, we should know what we're going to do in life, but I don't have any idea." Piper's voice was low, and her gaze was on her hands.

Annabeth nodded. "I understand what you mean. But I guess we'll know soon enough, right?"

Piper hummed. "Right."

They were silent for a while, hearing the echoes of the laughing children from the park that was off to the side.

A couple minutes later, Piper pointed to the water. "Wanna go put our feet in the water?"

"Sure." Before they could get up, though, a child that had been previously running from a friend, Annabeth assumed, triped, screeching as he fell. A second later, he began crying softly, all traces of happiness gone.

Piper jumped up to help him, and Annabeth glanced around for his mother. Nobody seemed to be concerned for him, all concentrated on their own children in the field.

Annabeth could hear Piper's soothing noises as she stood up and walked over to him, and the boy, who seemed about 5, was sniffling. He had blonde hair and blue eyes and looked at Annabeth with a sad frown.

"Do you know where my Mommy is?"

Annabeth slowly shook her head, and she saw that he'd scraped his knee when falling. Piper turned to Annabeth, "Can you go get my water bottle?"

Nodding, Annabeth rushed over to the bench to pick up the bottle, and handed it to Piper in less than ten seconds. She soothed the child as he whimpered for his mom.

"I have Band-Aids somewhere," Piper muttered, as she dug around in her pockets.

When Annabeth noticed the child's suspicious look and how his bottom lip trembled, she decided to converse with him. "What's your name?"

"B-bobby." He answered shakily, and Annabeth smiled at him.

"Nice to meet you, Bobby. We're going to find your mommy. Do you know where she is?"

He shook his head, "I was p-playing w-w-with my b-brother. I l-lost mommy _and_ M-matthew."

"Okay," Annabeth cursed in her mind. "Do you know where they might be?"

"No.."

"Alright," Annabeth sighed. "We'll have to look for her, then."

His lip quivered again, and as Piper put a bandaid on his injury, he let out a loud whimper. "I want mommy."

"Shh," Annabeth said. "We'll find her."

A tear dripped down his cheek, and Annabeth's heart melted at his innocence. She found herself disliking his mother, not knowing her at all. Who would leave their own child unsupervised?

Pipet stood up, and looked around. She peered down at Bobby before pointing to the ice cream stand near the water. "Do you like ice cream?"

The boy nodded excitedly, but a sniffle interrupted it. "Yes!"

Piper flashed him a smile. "How about we go get you some ice cream, then find your mommy?"

He nodded eagerly, and grabbed onto Annabeth's hand, and looked up at her. "Okay! I like chocolate. What's your name?"

"My name's Annabeth," she answered.

His eyes widened for a second, "Annbeth?"

"Annabeth," she repeated, slower this time.

He nodded as if he understood everything. "Beth!"

Annabeth gave a small laugh and squeezed his hand. She wiped the tear on his cheek, and he looked up at her again with wide, blue eyes.

"Annabeth." He said, again.

"There you go!" Annabeth spoke enthusiastically. "You're really smart!"

His cheeks dimpled. "Really?"

"Yes," Annabeth said.

"I'm four," he said as they neared the ice cream stand.

"That's cool." Annabeth watched Piper ask for chocolate ice cream. "Four is a fun age!"

"I want to be a grown up," he frowned.

She laughed. "You will be soon enough!"

"But I don't want to wait!"

Believe me, you do.

"Well, four is a very amazing age, too. You're awesome for being four!"

Happiness spread through his features. "Yay!"

As Piper walked back to them, Bobby let out a surprised noise turned to Annabeth with wide eyes. "I know you!"

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. She'd never seen this kid in her life. "What?"

His face broke out into a grin. "My mommy talks about you all the time!"

 **A/N: Sorry for the late update, I hope this chapter is still enjoyable, though! Thank you guys for reading. What did you think? Let me know! :D**

 **theartnerd333: I haven't heard from you in a while! Where've you been? :) Thank you so much! I'm glad you're "loving it"!**

 **BookLuver4ever7: I still think I've got a hell lot of practice needed, but that's what writing's about, right? I know right.. Seriously Percy? Yep! That was Luke. Hope you liked this chapter!**

 **AnimeAddict1059: Yep, I wanted to give Annabeth a group of friends that she could be with and all. It'll add onto the plot ;) All of the character's actions will, actually. You'll have to keep on reading to find out :) Hope you liked this chapter!**

 **ShatteredOwl: Gotta love school! XD no. And oh shut up, you're denying the fact that you** _ **killed**_ **him. Tsk, tsk..irresponsible.**

 **Purplicouspolkadot: *screams bc you actually** _ **read**_ **this* Wow. It's an honor. Yeah, Percy does remember her, but that doesn't mean he wants to. ;) Hope you liked this chapter!**

 **uneednotnomyname: I get** _ **so**_ **excited when you review. Thank you, woah, I'm rendered speechless. This is so sweet and I'm so lucky to have readers like you. I feel bad for Annabeth, too. Don't worry, the characters will make sense later on! I hope you liked this chapter! :D**

 **ArtsyFangirl: Thanks! I'm trying. :)**

 **CassylovesPercabeth: Oh, the sadness has just begun. Glad you like it, I hope you like the next chapter :)**

 **WriterLife: I am! :)**

 **greekgeekgirlbro: Same.**

 **And that's all of the reviews! Thanks for all your support, and I look forward to seeing your reviews and reactions to this chapter! Keep smiling, xxx.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

The next morning, Annabeth woke up feeling sick.

It didn't necessarily feel like a flu type of sick, but a 'something bad will happen' sick. She'd gotten used to it over the few weeks of school, though. The feeling of regret and annoyance that she woke up every morning to, knowing she'd be seeing Percy Jackson that day.

And everyday of the school year.

Trying to push the irritation rising inside of her at the thought of his beautiful eyes, Annabeth glanced at the clock and jumped.

Her bus would be there in four minutes.

She rushed off her bed, almost sliding off in the process, and cursed as she threw on a random blue shirt and squeezed her jeans on. Pulling out socks from the nearest drawer, she hurriedly ran her fingers through her hair in hopes of getting it smoother. When no such thing happened, Annabeth grabbed her hair tie and messily tied her hair up. She didn't have time to care about her curls.

Almost running to the bathroom, Annabeth splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth within two minutes. She let out a breath as she ran downstairs and put her boots on, grabbing her backpack and leaving the house, just as the bus pulled up at her stop. Looking around, a wave of disappointment ran through Annabeth. Percy wasn't there.

A sigh escaped her lips as Annabeth walked speedily to the stop, smiling at her bus driver when he opened the door. She looked around the bus, taking a seat in the fifth row with her face burning. Everybody had someone to sit with, and she was always alone. It definitely wasn't the cold breeze outside causing it, but it only worsened when she heard Percy run into the bus at the same time. He flashed a quick grin at the bus driver, murmuring good morning.

Annabeth took a moment to analyze him, at his messy hair sticking out in opposite directions, the bags under his eyes, and when his eyes met hers, she averted her gaze.

Even though it was just five seconds, the time slowed down. He looked around before turning to her, an unreadable expression on his face. "Can I sit here?"

Annabeth nodded mutely, pulling her backpack on her lap and staring out the window. She shivered slightly when it hit her that she'd forgotten her _jacket._ Great. It was just what she needed.

When the bus driver began moving again, Annabeth tried to ignore the tapping of Percy's fingers against the leather seats. She bit her lip, inhaling his fresh scent and shutting her eyes. The sea and cologne, how he'd always smelled before he changed drastically.

As the tapping got louder, Annabeth grit her teeth and attempted to ignore it. She could hear the whispers from the students behind her, and before she knew what she was doing, Annabeth turned to him. "Will you _stop_?"

His fingers abruptly stopped, and Percy let a sheepish and embarrassed expression rise on his face. "Sorry."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and turned away, but her victory was short lived.

"Where's your jacket?"

"That isn't your business." Annabeth ignored the way her heart rate sped up.

"It's below thirty degrees, are you crazy?"

"No."

"Anna-"

"Can you shut up and leave me alone?"

After that, Percy was silent. He turned away from Annabeth, and they didn't speak a word the entire time.

When the bus _finally_ pulled up to the school, Percy rushed towards the exit. Annabeth waited a couple minutes for everyone else to leave before standing up, and then her eye caught the black leather lying next to her. She felt her heart constrict when she recognized it.

He'd left his jacket for her.

* * *

"Attention, please!"

Annabeth glanced up at Mr. C, who was looking confidently at the class, a wide grin abroad his face. When the class finally quieted down, he began talking.

"Now, as we all know, this is a history class. Since it's the start of the year, I will not immediately be jumping into difficult projects and activities. So, for your first project in here, you'll be working for a partner." The room squirmed with excitement until Mr. C shook his head. "I've chosen your partners, based on your previous grades. But, before we get into that, let me explain what exactly you will be doing. Each of you will pick a certain time period from the thirteen I have up here on the table, and you will be doing research and presenting it later on. Understand?"

Some of the students nodded, while others just yawned. Annabeth took a steady breath, praying that she wouldn't be partners with _him._ Anyone but him. She felt his gaze on her, but pushed it away. Mr. C pulled out a piece of paper, and began to read off names. She was the second one.

"Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase."

Annabeth's heart stopped.

The class went silent for a moment, murmuring in hushed voices before they stopped. Teenage minds could only handle five seconds of one topic. As Mr. C went on to read more names, Annabeth struggled to breathe.

Out of everyone. Percy Jackson. The same one who'd ignored her for weeks, barely bothering to look at her other than when he smirked with her friends. The _same_ Percy Jackson she wished she had nothing to do with for the entire school year.

She could feel his gaze on her, and looked pointedly at the floor. It was just a project. They could handle each other for a week.

"Okay, class, one of you come up here and choose a time period. I will give you two weeks for this, and will pass out the criteria tomorrow. As of right now, since we only have twenty minutes of class left, you have the entire class period to talk with your partner. No switching partners." Mr. C set down the papers and finished talking, his voice being drowned by the students'.

Before Annabeth could get up, Percy was walking towards the table in the middle. Annabeth bit her lip and sat down, and when he turned with a piece of paper in his hand, she didn't look away. He shot her the tiniest hint of a smile, and her heart melted.

No.

She wouldn't let him do this to her again.

Annabeth didn't return the smile, and he set down the paper awkwardly on her desk, sitting at the empty one in front and turning to her. Annabeth's eyes scanned the paper, and she almost jumped up when she read the two, simple words.

 _Shakespearean Era._

They were silent for a moment, and Percy glanced expectantly at Annabeth. She kept her gaze downwards, but couldn't help smiling. It was her favorite time in history, where her favorite writer had lived.

"Okay," Percy said.

They didn't speak for five minutes, before Percy finally cleared his throat. "So. Any ideas on this? Annabeth?"

Taking a mental breath, she looked up. "Yeah. I'll do half, you do half, and no communication will ensue. I already know about this era, I don't know about you-"

"It isn't a group project if we don't talk." Percy cut her off.

"It is," Annabeth said. Why did he care, anyway?

"Annabeth."

"Don't say my name," Annabeth got up, pushing him aside. He watched her, a scowl on his face.

"Why are you overreacting? Just act normal so we can get this done with!"

She ignored him, gathering her stuff and walking to the teacher's desk. "May I go to the bathroom?"

Mr. C gave her a look and then at Percy. He sighed. "You may, just don't be late for your next class."

Annabeth nodded, Percy's voice lingering in her mind. She shuffled her things before walking out the classroom, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

* * *

Luke Castallen's laughter echoed throughout the hall, and Annabeth stopped short of walking. She heard it again, a devious and annoying sound.

Soon enough, his voice began to speak out. "Really? You gay faggot," he spat. "You're nothing."

Unexpected anger burned inside of Annabeth, and she turned the corner, to find Luke pinning Nico di Angelo against the lockers. She glanced around the hall for any adults, but it was completely empty. No sign of teachers.

His back was turned to her so he didn't notice her presence, but Nico caught her eye. When she locked gazes with his dark orbs, she saw nothing. No emotion whatsoever to show that he felt anything about the situation he was in. It reminded Annabeth of what she saw whenever she looked at her reflection.

"You deserve to die," Luke growled. "You piece of shit."

Rage boiled inside of Annabeth, and she stalked toward Luke. "What the hell do you think you're _doing?_ "

He tensed, but his grip on Nico didn't loosen. When he spoke, Luke's voice was low. "Don't come into this, Blondie."

She scowled, "Watch me."

He laughed, and then completely let go of Nico. Turning to face Annabeth, Luke smirked. "Who do you think you are, sweetheart?"

Annabeth pushed at his chest. "Don't call me that. Do you want me to report you? What do you have against Nico?"

Luke's eyes darkened, and he shoved Nico away from the hall. "Leave," he growled.

Nico bit his lip and with a slightly emotional face, nodded at Annabeth. She hoped her expression could be comprehended. _You're welcome_.

"You have _no_ right to do that," Annabeth said. "Bitch. Can't you leave people alone?"

Luke raised an eyebrow. "You ask too many questions. It's starting to irritate me."

She laughed sarcastically. "And you're starting to make me wish I could break your jaw. And possibly your whole face."

His eyebrows hit his hairline, an amused expression setting onto his features. "Don't be like that, princess." When he leaned closer, Annabeth could smell the cigarettes on his breath.

She gagged, and pushed him away. "Leave me alone."

He shrugged. "That's what I was trying to do. You're a hypocritical one."

And with that, Luke left, leaving Annabeth's heart pounding. She checked her watch, and sighed.

Of course she'd miss the bus.

* * *

When arriving home, Annabeth wanted nothing more than to throw herself onto her bed and cry. She shivered, the rain sticking to her skin in droplets.

Having walked for what seemed like an eternity in the rain, Annabeth was soaking. She blew the hair out of her face, setting her backpack down.

Immediately, her father greeted her with a slap to the face. "Why are you late?"

"I missed the bus," Annabeth answered calmly. She knew it was useless to make up some stupid excuse.

He grunted, grabbing her by the hair and throwing her onto the staircase. "You better not do it again, or I. Will. Make. You. Pay. Understand? I expect dinner to be ready in five minutes."

Annabeth nodded mutely, and before she could get up, a figure walked into the room, laughing. She stopped when seeing Annabeth, all signs of laughter dropping from her face.

The woman's hair was wildfire red, and her emerald eyes hardened when she saw Annabeth. She looked mildly annoyed, and wrapped her arm around Frederick's waist, kissing him on the chrek.

Annabeth tried not to gag, and Frederick kissed her sloppily before turning to Annabeth. "Bitch, come here and greet the guest the way she should be treated."

Annabeth swallowed. "Hello."

The woman smiled tightly, and in her sugary sweet voice, said, "Hello, Annabeth."

"No offense," Annabeth said, "but who's this?"

Frederick's eyes flashed, but he grinned, showing off his nasty teeth. "This, Annabeth, is your new stepmother."

Annabeth felt as though a gallon of ice had been poured over her, and she had no time to recover. Her jaw dropped. " _What_?"

She knew her dad had multiple affairs, but never did she expect him to settle with someone she'd never met. Who was she? How long had her father known her? Were they getting married? Were they _already_ married?

"Yes," the woman said in her sweet voice. "Darling, I am pleased to meet you."

It felt as though a million pounds of weight had placed themselves onto Annabeth's chest. She raised her eyebrows at Frederick. What about Athena?

He understood her message, and shook his hear threateningly. Don't.

The phone rang, cutting Annabeth from her mental conversation from Frederick. She jumped up, rubbing her arm from when it'd jammed when she fell. "I'll get it."

Frederick nodded, and pulled the woman against him. He shooed her, and Annabeth climbed up the stairs in disgust, throwing her jacket on the ground in anger. She picked up the phone, forcing her voice to remain unmoved. "Hello?"

"Annabeth?" Athena.

Her heart squeezed, and Annabeth shut her eyes tightly. "Yes?"

"How are you, darling?"

"Do you need anything?" Annabeth cut off. "I'm a bit busy right now."

Athena was silent for a moment before replying. "I wanted to check up on you. How's school?"

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows, leaning against her bed. She stared at the rain tapping at her window, "It's okay. How are you?"

Her mother hummed, "I'm good."

"How's work?"

"Work is wonderful." Athena responded, and Annabeth felt a pang at her heart when she realized she felt jealous that her mother was happy. And she wasn't.

"That's good," Tension rose between them, and Annabeth sighed. "Mom, we'll talk later?"

"Wait, honey, I need to talk to you about something."

I knew you didn't actually care about me.

"Yeah?" Annabeth walked over to her window, placing her forehead against the cold glass. Shivers ran through her body.

"I heard about Frederick getting married."

Coldness coursed through Annabeth's veins, but she was sure it wasn't because of the window. "He's getting _married?"_

"You didn't know?" There was hardness in Athena's voice.

"I don't know anything!" Annabeth burst out. "I didn't know anything about any woman until now, let alone that she'd be living with _me_. Hell, I don't even know her name!"

"From what I've heard," Athena cleared her throat, "her name is Susan Dare. And the wedding is in a few months."

 **A/N: *breaths sigh of relief* Finally done. After weeks of trying to get through writer's block, it's done! How was it? Let me know in a review. :)**

 **Purplicouspolkadot: Thank you! I'm so glad you like it omg ! I hope you have a good day too :)**

 **DerpMuffinPJO: Yep, Bobby's the cutest. You'll find out whether your prediction was true or not in the later chapters ;)**

 **clo7615: Thank you! So glad you like it!**

 **CassylovesPercabeth: Hope you like it! :D**

 **MajorCartooniac: Honestly, who understands teenagers? Especially** _ **broken**_ **teenagers like Perseus Jackson? Why, let's find out. ;) I will fully support this mob of Luke haters. You guys do a good deed. Apparently, Luke's going to be the bad guy in all of my stories. Aww, thank you! ;) and I agree, suspicious, but then again, who would Piper and Annabeth ever hurt? Athena's in SF, don't worry! I hope you liked this chapter :D (and don't procrastinate by reading this, Marshy).**

 **uneednotnomyname: You're so sweet. Thank you so much. I try to update as often as I can for you guys :) Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing with this story. Not as much as I'd like to, so, we'll see where it leads to. Hope you liked the chapter!**

 **ShatteredOwl: ..that fucking asshole. HE'S DEAD. WOW. You need to funeralize (not a word) him. Or else I'm deleting TWSH.**

 **BookLuver4ever7: Yay! So glad you liked it. All these characters are just being introduced, even though it's like chapter 15, so we'll see what Calypso does. Piper's amazing. Hope you like the chapter!**

 **Someone the World Forgot: I have no idea what you read, tbh. I don't even know what this is. *tired laughter* I agree. Poor Annabeth. Hope you liked this :D**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Apparently, Bobby** _ **does**_ **know Annabeth. Hope you like this chapter :)**

 **africaflower77: This made me smile. I hope you like this chapter ;)**

 **KoelKat: I try to update, what do you mean, "add in a song"? :) Thanks!**

 **And that's it of the reviews. Thanks to all my beautiful followers and readers for supporting this story and not giving up on it. Y'all are the real MVP. Keep smiling, xxx.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson.**

The sound of Poseidon coming up to Percy's bedroom awoke him. He groaned softly, pushing his face further into the pillow just as the door opened.

"Perseus," his father said as a form of greeting. "I have something for you."

"And I have the urge to go back to sleep," Percy told him, voice muffled by the pillow. With a glance, he saw that he still had an hour before the bus. "Leave me alone."

Light flashed in his eyes, even through the fabric of the pillow. Percy shut his eyes tighter before realizing it was no use. With a tired sigh, he looked up at Poseidon with an annoyed expression.

His father was carrying a box in his hand, and narrowed his eyes at Percy. "Don't speak to me like that. You should be glad you're waking up safe."

Percy scowled. "Are you going to start my morning with your stupid rants again?"

"No," Poseidon answered. He set the box on the edge of Percy's bed. "I ordered this for you, you might want to look at it."

And with that, he was gone, switching the light switch off and shutting the door behind him. Percy shut his eyes again, an aggravated feeling rising within him.

After what seemed like hours trying to go back to sleep, Percy pulled himself up out of bed. He threw the comforter off him and yawned, rubbing his eyes. He walked over to the package at the end of his bed.

It was long yet thin, with stickers embellished on the light brown surface. Percy ripped the tape off carefully, and came face to face with a laptop. His eyebrows furrowed as he picked it up and looked at it. It seemed perfectly new, without a single dent. Why had Poseidon gotten him this?

He opened it up, and found that everything was already in place. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw a user already there for him. There was no set up needed. How much had it cost to do this?

But then it hit Percy that his father probably could spend thousands without a blink of an eye. And just to think that a few months ago, spending a dollar meant he wouldn't have dinner for the rest of the week.

He set the device down, and stretched. Bones in his spine cracked, and Percy picked up a pair of skinny jeans and a polo from the floor. He carelessly threw them on and walked into the hall of the house, which was lit with the light of the morning, stepping into the bathroom.

The tiles of the bathroom floor were cold to the touch. Percy hissed as he turned the water on and flipped the light switch on. His reflection displayed on the mirror made him wince. With hair that stuck out in every possible and dark, prominent bags under his eyes, he looked like he hadn't slept in days. Percy's eyes were dark and solemn, nothing like when he had his mom. They'd lost the twinkle. His lips were thin, cheekbones clearly showing.

He looked worthless.

Refusing to look at his face anymore, Percy splashed water on his face and quickly brushed his teeth. Without a second thought, he was out of the bathroom, feeling full of guilt. He entered his room, still dark.

Anxiety settled in his stomach and he wasn't sure why. It was the when he'd put his shoes on did Percy realize. He didn't do any of the homework that he had to. _Shit._

He clenched his fist when the thought of having to sit in detention for another day came to mind. Besides, what would Annabeth think? Mr. C would no doubt call him out on it.

Wait.

Since when did he care what _Annabeth_ thought?

He hated her. She was on his mind every single minute of everyday, and he didn't know what to think. It was clear she hated him, but he missed the girl with a ponytail and dimples playing with him in the summer. But that was years ago. Still, he missed hearing her laugh. Hearing her say "Seaweed Brain" with giggles, and hearing her go on and on about architecture and designs and her dreams to make something permanent. He vaguely remembered the promise they'd made to each other when they were best friends, that one day, they would travel to Greece together.

Being friends with Luke was a mistake. Percy knew it. He knew getting involved with drugs would never lead to good, but he'd done it. For what? To fit in. He'd made Nico, someone he didn't even _know_ , feel like shit because he wanted to fit in. Percy didn't deserve to live. Not after what he'd told Nico and everyone else. Gabe was right. He always had been. Percy was nothing.

Taking a deep breath, Percy wiped the blood off of his lips from biting them too hard. He traced the newly fresh cuts on his forearm and biceps, where nobody would notice easily. He deserved them. Of course he did.

Throwing on a jacket, Percy grabbed his backpack and strode down the stairs, hoping Poseidon wouldn't notice him from the kitchen.

It didn't work out.

"Perseus?" Poseidon called out. "Did you eat anything?"

"Yeah," Percy lied.

"Really?" Poseidon appeared from outside the kitchen. "What?"

"It doesn't matter," Percy said. He twisted the doorknob open.

"It does matter," Poseidon placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Perseus."

Percy shrugged it off. "I have to go to school."

"You need to eat."

"Nope." Percy took a step outside, before turning back. "Poseidon?"

"Yes?" His father looked hopeful.

"Thanks for the laptop."

Poseidon nodded, and for a moment, he seemed glad. "I'm glad you liked it."

Percy gave him an excuse of a smile before leaving, the chill of the air on his face. Shivers danced on his spine and his heart stopped when he noticed Annabeth already standing there.

He walked slowly to the bus stop, hoping she wouldn't notice. Her back was turned, and Percy arrived to the end of the block within half a minute. He held his breath when he heard her muttering under her breath, but soon ended up choking on his own saliva.

Annabeth tensed up and turned to him, and for a split second, her eyes met his. Something shot up Percy's veins, and his heart beat could be heard.

But her gaze immediately fell to the floor, and Percy cleared his throat awkwardly. He shuffled with his backpack, wishing that the bus would come faster.

He wanted to talk to Annabeth so badly. He wanted to apologize to her, to say that he wanted things to go back to normal between them. To know why she was in New York.

"Annabeth?" _Fuck._ Percy needed to keep his mouth shut.

"Don't talk to me," Annabeth said, quietly. "I want absolutely _nothing_ to do with someone like you."

He felt his heart sink.

"I'm sorry," Percy wanted to say. But he couldn't.

Not with his pride standing in the way.

* * *

The entire first period was something Percy never wanted to experience again.

He was currently sitting next to Annabeth as they stared at the list of requirements for the projects,neither of them talking. The whole class was discussing what they'd do and how they would do it, but Percy and Annabeth were completely silent. Percy felt like he could choke on the thick tension in the air.

"Okay," he tried. "How about you do the first ten requirements and I'll do the rest?"

Annabeth nodded. She slid a piece of paper to Percy, and then began writing in her notebook. Percy sighed, knowing it was no use. She wouldn't talk to him, and he didn't blame her.

They worked silently, Percy skimming through books to find the information on the Black Death while Annabeth researched on one of the computers' laptops. Annabeth was sitting a good distance away from him, and Percy tried not to notice how _cute_ she looked when she was deep in thought.

Moments later, Mr. C walked by. He hummed as he knelt down to look at the work they were doing, and then made a noise of appreciation. "Well done. You two are ahead of the entire class!"

Percy nodded, and continued working. Mr. C walked away, chuckling to himself.

He could see a small smile ghosting on Annabeth's lips, and her head turned to glance at him. When she realized that he was watching her, Annabeth's face darkened and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Will you stop looking at me?"

"What?" Percy asked, surprised by her sudden outburst.

"It's annoying. Focus on your things, because I don't want you looking at me. Because trust me, as much as I want to ask Mr. C to change partners, I _can't._ So do me a favor and stay away from me." Annabeth told him.

Annoyance rose in Percy. "I never said anything to you!"

An exasperated sigh left Annabeth's lips. She turned to him, eyebrows raised. "And you think I want you to?"

Percy attempted to ignore the hurt he felt at those words. When he spoke, his voice showed no emotion. "Maybe you shouldn't be so dramatic."

Annabeth placed the laptop on the ground, and stood up. Her eyes were rimmed with tears, and Percy had no idea why.

"Maybe," Her voice rendered on the edge of breaking down, "you shouldn't go around thinking that you own the world. Because news flash, Perseus Jackson, you _don't!"_

* * *

Annabeth's P.O.V:

"So, then," Calypso continued, "he told me to ask him out. How does that even make sense?"

She looked around the lunch table expectantly, a smirk dancing on her face at how much attention she was receiving.

"Wait," Piper told her. "Who asked you out?"

Calypso let out a giggle. "Luke!"

There was complete silence for a second, before Thalia started choking. All gazes averted towards her, and she set her water down, face slightly red.

"Thalia?" Reyna asked, "what's wrong?"

Thalia ignored her. She looked at Calypso, incredulous. "Luke asked _you_ out?"

"Mhm," Calypso hummed. "And then he said I should ask him out back. I don't know why, though."

"That doesn't make sense," Thalia's eyes turned dark. "Out of everyone, why would he like _you?"_

"Have you not seen me?" Calypso winked, and flipped her hair.

Due to the fact she was sitting next to Thalia, Annabeth heard her next words, which were mumbled.

"Sadly, I have."

Calypso's almond eyes glittered. "Jealousy is an ugly trait, darling."

Piper placed a hand on Calypso's shoulder. "That's enough, Callie."

"I'm just saying, Thals. It isn't my fault he doesn't feel the same way about you anymore."

"Shut the hell up," Thalia growled. She slammed her hand against the table, making everybody jump. "Say one more word, and I won't hesitate to break your pretty face."

Calypso's eyebrows hit her hairline, and she gave a sarcastic smile. "Whatever you say, sweetheart. But Luke doesn't love you anymore. Luke. Doesn't. Love. You. Anymore. And, he never will."

"I am done with you," Thalia told her. She stood up, and without a second thought, had Calypso pressed against the wall of the lunchroom. By now she'd captured everyone's attention, and the cafeteria was deadly silent.

"Thalia!" Piper called out, and jumped up. She tried to push Thalia off, but Thalia didn't break her grip. After about a minute of Piper whispering words into Thalia's ear did she let go with a growl. Calypso slid to the floor with a surprised look, before burying her face in her hands.

Thalia smiled, and with a humorless laugh, left the cafeteria, running her hands through her hair.

When a minute passed without anybody doing anything, Annabeth was up. She felt sympathy towards Thalia, and with a disgusted glance at a smirking Calypso, Annabeth ran after her.

"Thalia!" She could see her silhouette in the deserted halls, and picked up the pace when Thalia turned towards the corner.

When she finally reached her, Annabeth gripped her arm. "Thalia, where are you going?"

The girl's head whipped towards her in anger, before she calmed down. "What do you want?"

"To talk to you," Annabeth said.

Thalia chuckled. "You should hurry up. They'll be calling me up to the office in five."

"I wanted to say I know how you feel," Annabeth told her, smiling slightly at how cliché the situation was.

Thalia gave her a sideways glance, and they continued walking. "Luke and I," she said, "we had history. But then he completely changed after his parents' divorce. He started doing all this shit and getting himself into things he shouldn't have, and I'm not even sure who he is anymore."

"I understand," Annabeth said. And truly, she did.

"Do you, really?"

"I do, believe me." Annabeth told her. "There's someone else I have the similar situation with."

"Percy Jackson?" Thalia asked.

"What?" Annabeth asked, taken aback.

Thalia smirked, and nudged Annabeth. "Judging from your reaction, I assume I'm right."

Annabeth didn't see a point in denying it. Besides, Thalia had told her that much already. "You are."

She winked. "When am I not?"

Annabeth laughed, "When calculus is involved."

Thalia let out a noise of amusement. "That's true. Wanna ditch?"

"Isn't that against the rules?" Annabeth said, but a wave of excitement overcame her at the thought.

"Oh, Annabeth," Thalia shook her head. "A lot of things are against the rules. But rules are meant to be broken. We don't have hall passes. That's breaking rule number one."

They turned another corner of the hall, and were face to face with a door that led outside to the school. Thalia turned to her with a grin, electric eyes sparkling. "You in?"

"What happens if we get caught?"

The blue-eyed girl threw her head back and laughed. She pushed the door open, and Annabeth was immediately met with the breeze blowing onto her face.

She breathed in the fresh air as Thalia wrapped her leather jacket around her waist.

"One way to find out, Annie."

 **A/N: I finally updated! I'm sorry that it took so long, there's just a lot going on. I hope this chapter wasn't too bad, or too OOC. Hopefully, you guys like it. :) Also, I know I don't cover everything in one chapter, but that's to add onto the plot. Believe me, I'll get the questions answered.**

 **DerpMuffinPJO: Lol, don't worry! You don't seem like a stalker. Or, at least I don't mind. XD Anyway, thank you! I'm glad you're liking it!**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Both Percy and Annabeth have lives that suck. I think at some point, Annabeth will accept Percy, but it doesn't really seem like it right now.**

 **Purplicouspolkadot: Ahh, thank you so much! :)**

 **MajorCartooniac: Gotta love that tension! I swear, Percy changes in every chapter. But I think he has a good enough reason for it, since his life is all up and down all the time. Yep, nobody likes Luke! Or Gabe. Or Athena. But the thing that Athena wanted to talk about** _ **was**_ **Susan Dare..I'm sorry if it wasn't obvious. And nope, Bobby and Matthew aren't related to Athena. The questions are probably multiplying by now..and they should! All part of the rising action ;) hope you liked the chapter!**

 **Gahhhhh: Don't worry, I feel you. I'm too lazy to log on half the time, too. Percy's so confusing, isn't he? Oh, teenage boys.. What mommy? Keep in mind that I can't discuss everything in one chapter and then go on about a new thing or else the story will just be plain boring.**

 **BookLuver4ever7: Thanks! I agree with everything you said. :)**

 **Someone the World Forgot: Gotta love plot twists! I will :D**

 **lilmissnoname: Thanks! There's quite a bit of swearing in this story, so just to let you know if you proceed to read. It's pretty dark. :)**

 **CassylovesPercabeth: Thank you! :D**

 **ShatteredOwl: Do not judge me on my use of grammar XD drama is fun!**

 **uneednotnomyname: Yeah, I kind of feel bad for Annabeth too. But it's fun with your reactions ;) Thank you! I really enjoy adding in the drama and adding the tension. Once again, thank you! I finally got over my writer's block. :D**

 **I hope you guys liked this! I'm going to try to update more, but I may not. Just saying. Keep smiling, xxx..**


	17. Hiatus

**Hey, guys. So I know I haven't updated in a while, and my schedule has been** ** _horrible_** **. I thought I had Broken planned out-and I did, but somewhere, halfway, I lost my motivation for it. And a lot has been going on, and it will continue to make my life busier and I just don't think I can write Broken anymore. It's become more of a burden to update instead of me actually** ** _wanting_** **to write it like I did with TWSH or my earlier chapters. And I'm sorry, I don't think Broken will be updated anymore. I won't delete it, in hopes that maybe I'll get my motivation back, but it won't be finished. At least, it's highly unlikely. I'll still be posting one-shots and maybe even a sequel for TWSH? But none of that is guaranteed. And apologize for being such a bad writer, and I hope you guys understand. May 1st (also my birthday!) is when I may be able to start on something because my schedule won't be as busy after, but it won't be Broken's new chapter. Again, I've had Broken planned out, I know what's going to happen, I just don't want to write it anymore. Because it's horribly written and I don't find myself enjoying it. These last chapters I've been forcing myself to write for you guys, and I just can't do it anymore. I hope you understand. Keep smiling, xxx.**


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